Pork Meatballs & Spaghetti

📝 Ingredients

• 500 g pork mince
• 40 g rolled oats
• 1 egg
• 15 g fresh parsley
• 4 garlic cloves (2 for the meatballs, 2 for the sauce)
• 1 brown onion
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes (2 × 400 g)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 320 g spaghetti (dried pasta)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large mixing bowl
• Large deep frying pan with lid
• Large saucepan
• Colander
• Cutting board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Peel the onion and garlic cloves. Finely chop the onion (it's for the sauce), crush or very finely chop the garlic and chop the parsley. Keep 2 garlic cloves for the meatballs and 2 for the sauce.
2. In the large mixing bowl, beat the egg with a fork, add the oats and leave to soak for 5 minutes: this is what keeps the meatballs tender. Add the minced pork, 2 garlic cloves, the parsley, 1 level tsp salt and some pepper.
3. Mix by hand just enough to combine everything evenly, without kneading for long, or the meatballs will turn tough. With wet hands, shape about twenty walnut-sized meatballs (about 30 g each).
4. Heat the olive oil in the large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs for 6 to 8 minutes, turning them gently, until coloured on all sides. They're not cooked through yet: set them aside on a plate.
5. Turn the heat down to medium and fry the onion for 3 minutes in the same pan, without cleaning it, until translucent. Add the last 2 garlic cloves and the oregano, stir for 30 seconds, then pour in the chopped tomatoes. Season lightly with salt and add some pepper.
6. Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes over a low heat, stirring occasionally. They're cooked when they're no longer pink inside: cut the biggest one in half to check.
7. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti for the time on the packet, stirring at the start so it doesn't stick. Drain, keeping back a ladleful of the cooking water.
8. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning; if it's too thick, loosen it with a little of the pasta water. Serve the spaghetti in shallow bowls, topped with sauce, with 5 meatballs per person.