FUNDRAISING:It's not a new idea - a book of recipes for charity - but it's a particularly well executed one. Try Gerry Thornley'smeatballs in aid of Niall Mellon's fund
TO BE HONEST, this is a bit of a cheat, because strictly speaking it's a Jamie Oliver recipe. But then again, that's fitting, because if it wasn't for Jamie then I'd scarcely have moved on from toasted ham-and-cheeses or spag bol. Thanks to him, I've cooked dozens of dishes that I otherwise never would have heard of, discovering the joys of cooking (with some music and a can of beer or glass of wine) through recipes blissfully free of precise measurements; and many of them more exotic than meatballs. Thanks to him, and my wife, I've learnt how to cook; although I still can't work off anybody else's recipes but his.
His biggest influence is Italian, and though there's little our family wouldn't eat, Italian food remains a favourite, for its gusto and conviviality. As with most unpretentious and friendly Italian restaurants, Italian food is the best disposed toward get-togethers of families or friends. Oliver's recipes are essentially founded on plenty of fresh herbs and good ingredients, and during her five years studying Landscape Horticulture in UCD, Una began growing loads of fresh herbs. I can still remember the day, about 15 years ago, when she imbued a spaghetti Bolognese with fresh basil, bay leaves, oregano and rosemary. Sensational. Like nothing I'd ever tasted before.
Soon after, through watching Oliver's Naked Chefseries, I bought The Return of the Naked Chef. One of my first forays into this nervy new world was spicy meatballs, obtaining the ingredients in Clifden while on holidays in Renvyle. It was Una who first made it, and I can still vividly recall initially scooping a spoonful of the tomato sauce while it simmered. It was a rainy day in Connemara (surprise, surprise) and all three kids can also recall it as an early reference point in their lives. And the tomato sauce is actually the key. You can serve it with pasta to vegetarians, and the earlier you prepare it the better.
The first time I made it, I didn't read through the instructions first, and began breaking up the whole tomatoes. Catastrophe. Way too bitter. The longer you leave them stewing whole, the better. Whereas the creator-in-chief doesn't do so I'd also stipulate - if Jamie doesn't mind - that the tinned, peeled whole tomatoes ought ideally to be organic. It makes the sauce even more flavoursome.
The sauce and the preparation of the meatballs are messy, fiddly and time-consuming. The kitchen invariably looks like a bomb has hit it after I've finished. But they're worth it. They remain a family favourite and the ultimate accolade is that, as well as being a favourite of my own mum and sis, the same applies to my Italian father-in-law Joe (Guiseppe) and they're cooked whenever they come over for dinner.
I wouldn't like to think how many times I've made this. It's a wonderfully hearty and comforting winter feast, but there's no season - summer in France included - when we could go without it. Dylan usually wins the match for eating most meatballs, though Evan and Shana always do their best to beat him, as does even little Joe.
Lapped up with loads of crispy ciabatta, and washed down with a good Italian red wine (preferably a relatively expensive Valpolicella) you could close your eyes and easily imagine you were in a Roman restaurant. Just as good too.
Spicy meatballs
Tomato sauce (serves six to eight)
1 large clove of garlic (or two), finely chopped or ground
2 tablespoons or so of olive oil
1 small dried red chilli, pounded (or some dried chilli flakes)
2 teaspoons or so of dried oregano
3 or 4 standard-size tins of peeled Italian plum tomatoes (preferably organic)
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar (red wine makes for a richer substitute)
A handful of basil or marjoram, or both, finely chopped or ripped up
Malden salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Meatballs (serves four to six)
1kg or more of good minced beef
2 slices of bread, crumbled, or a few handfuls of ready-packed breadcrumbs, even frozen
2 tablespoons or so of dried oregano
½ teaspoon of cumin seeds, pounded
½ small dried red chilli, or some dried chilli flakes, pounded
1 tablespoon or so of fresh, finely chopped rosemary
1 egg yolk
Malden salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons of olive oil (for frying)
2 handfuls or so of fresh basil (you can never have too much fresh basil)
60g or so of mozzarella, broken up
60g or so of Parmesan, freshly grated
500g of pasta (dried spaghetti; Barilla is the best)
Like the manic day in Goodfellas with the helicopters overhead when Henry Hill is eventually busted, you can't start the sauce too soon. Gently fry the garlic in the olive oil until lightly browned, then add the chilli, oregano and tomatoes. Gently mix them but DO NOT BREAK UP the tomatoes. I prefer to keep the lid sealed so as not to release and lose the flavours, and keep on a low heat as they simmer away. Stir occasionally. After at least an hour, and up until you start cooking the meatballs, add your red wine vinegar or red wine and break up the tomatoes assiduously with a potato masher. You can remove the seeds or put the sauce through a sieve, but I think this is unnecessary, as the sauce is more flavoursome when a little chunky and it also sticks more easily to the pasta. Add the basil and season well to taste, along with the olive oil - but go easy here as it can make the sauce too oily. If, for any reason, the sauce tastes a little too bitter for your liking, you can a little sugar.
While the sauce is cooking, put the minced meat into a big bowl and add the breadcrumbs, oregano, pounded cumin and chilli, rosemary, egg yolk and then season with salt and pepper. Mix well and with damp hands roll up the mixture into meatballs - not too big as this makes cooking them longer and more tedious.
Having put on a large pot of boiling water for the pasta, pre-heat a thick-bottomed pan or casserole dish for your meatballs (Jamie says use a high heat but I find a lower heat enables you to cook them more thoroughly without burning them on the outside too much) and keep shaking or stirring them as they fizzle. I usually have to do them in two batches, and cut one in half to check they're not pink in the middle. Chuck the sauce and the meatballs into an oven dish of some kind, add loads of ripped up basil and mozzarella as well as the grated Parmesan and leave in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius until the cheese browns - usually half an hour or so. Meanwhile, cook your spaghetti until al dente; don't let the pasta soften too much as that can ruin all your work.
Serve with crispy bread and red wine, and perhaps a light green salad and fizzy water on the side. Eat slowly. Savour every mouthful. Yummy.
Celebrity Kitchen(€19.99) is on sale now.
The project organisers hope to raise €50,000 from sales, which is enough to build 10 houses in townships in South Africa.