Spaghetti and Meatballs Al Pomodoro E Arancia

We all love a good spaghetti and meatballs: it’s the poster child for Italian comfort food. This version by Martin Shanahan has a burst of flavour from crushed and toasted fennel seeds and a Pomodoro sauce spiked with orange juice giving it a delicate and moreish finish that will have you going back for seconds.

Meatballs

300 grams veal mince

300 grams pork mince

1 tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted and ground 

½ cup breadcrumbs

¼ cup milk

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg yolk

pinch of salt and pepper

Sauce

3 celery stalks, finely diced

1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 large onion, finely diced

400 ml chicken stock

1 can Italian tomatoes

juice of 3 oranges 

2 cups tomato passata

500 grams dried spaghetti

Meatballs: Place the breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl and allow the crumbs to soak up the milk (around 5 minutes). Add the remaining meatball ingredients, mix thoroughly and form into balls. (The mixture will make about 20 meatballs.)

To cook: Place a tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and brown the meatballs in batches. Once cooked place to one side to keep warm. Do not wash the saucepan as you will use it for making the sauce. 

Preheat the oven to 175C. 

Sauce: Put the celery, carrots and onions in the saucepan in which you cooked the meatballs, and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil for 10 minutes. Tip the meatballs and their juices into the saucepan, place a lid on it and bake in the oven for an hour, removing the lid for the last 25 minutes to reduce the sauce to a nice thick consistency. (If you don't have an ovenproof saucepan tip the meatballs and sauce into a casserole dish and cover to bake). 

Serve the meatballs and sauce over cooked spaghetti. Top with fresh basil leaves and a grating of Parmesan.

Serves 4