Meatballs with Orzo

Hi, this recipe is from 'AT MY TABLE a celebration of home-cooking' By Nigella Lawson. The book was given to be by a lovely member of my family. This one-pot meal went down a treat with my family, which is quite hard to achieve with us all enjoying different cuisines but this was real comfort food and was needed as me and my mum and sister had just got back from swimming and were really hungry. I made this a few hours ahead and then just left it, not on the heat or anything, for the rest of the afternoon. After returning from swimming, I started to reheat it on the hob but the meatballs started to break because I had to stir it a lot to keep it from sticking so, on my dad's suggestion, I popped the big casserole pan into  the oven about 180℃ fan/200℃ and left it to warm in there while I boiled some veg. It worked really well and there was about 1 small portion left after serving for 4. Also, if I was making again, I think I would add some veg to the pasta and meatballs mixture some roast aubergine, courgette, peppers ad mushrooms would really add to the end flavour. However, I understand it does lose its appeal to younger children when adding this. Another idea, is that you could use a jar of pasta sauce instead of tinned toms, Tesco do a nice chunky veg pasta sauce that would go nicely, and if this wasn't enough tomatoes, you could add some fresh and a blob of tomato puree. Feel free to experiment. Enjoy!!

Dietary Info:

-Unsuitable for vegans {You would need to make it dairy-free, substitute the egg, I reckon a chia egg would do the trick,and then change the meatballs for a meat-free alternative}

-Unsuitable for vegetarians {You can change the meat for a suitable alternative e.g quorn, chickpeas ect..}

-Contains Dairy {You can use a dairy-free cheese}

-Contains Gluten {Orzo pasta is glutinous however rice isn't and it works fine with rice. I would also suggest using gluten-free breadcrumbs in your meatballs, you could do this by blending up some gluten-free bread}

-No Nuts

Nigella Lawson's Tips For Making Ahead/Storing Leftovers:

Making ahead and storage - Meatballs and can be made up to 3 days in advance. Refrigerate, within 2 hours of cooking, in an airtight container. Return to a pan and reheat gently, until just boiling. Add orzo and cook as instructed below, adding a splash of extra water, if needed. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan until piping hot all the way through, adding a couple of extra splashes of water, if necessary. Do not reheat leftovers if sauce was made ahead.

Freezing - Meatballs and sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as instructed above.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

-500g minced beef {I used lean}

-1 egg, lightly beaten

-3tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped leaves, plus more to serve {I used 2tbsp dried in the meatballs}

-2tbsp dried breadcrumbs {I used golden breadcrumbs}

-4tbsp finely grated parmesan, plus more to serve {I used 30g of cheddar, finely grated in the meatballs}

-1+1/2tsp sea salt flakes

-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

For the sauce:

-1l cold water

-2tbsp olive oil {I used extra virgin}

-1 onion (approx 150g), peeled and finely chopped

-2tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped leaves {I used 1tbsp dried}

-2tsp dried oregano {I had to use mixed dried herbs as we had ran out of oregano}

-4tbsp/60ml red vermouth {I just put in a splash of wine vinegar}

-2x400g tin chopped tomatoes

-1+1/2tsp sea salt flakes

For the Orzo:

-275g Orzo pasta {I used rice instead of Orzo pasta, same quatities but it just took a bit longer to cook, around 20-25mins}

Method:

1: Line a large baking tray with clingfilm, then put all the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl and mix together, gently, with your hands. Don't overmix, as it will make the meatballs dense-textured and heavy.

2: Pinch out pieces of this mixture and roll between the palms of your hand to form meatballs that are somewhere between a cherry tomato and a walnut in size, putting them onto your lined tray as you go. You should get about 30 meatballs. {Try to get at least 30, I managed 32 by arranging them 8 by 4 on my tray, as they are not being cooked before going into the sauce, the heat from the sauce is the only thing cooking the meat and so the smaller they are the faster they will cook and it just ensures that they are cooked. You don't want raw meat balls!} {Also, place the tray in the fridge at this point, this should help the meatballs firm up and hold their shapes better in the pan}

3: Fill a measuring jug with 1litre of cold water and put near the hob. {My jug only went up to 1/2 a litre so I had to refill it when it emptied}
4: Heat oil in a large heavy-based casserole or pan that comes with a lid and is large enough to take the pasta and meatballs too. Cook the chopped onion over a medium heat, stirring every now and then, for about 10mins, or until completely softened, then stir in the parsley and oregano and cook, stirring for a minute or so before adding the vermouth {Or vinegar}. Let this bubble for a minute and then tip in the tomatoes. Half-fill the empty tin with water from the jug you have at the ready, give them a good swill, and pour into the pan, along with the rest of the water and salt. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down, clamp on the lid and leave to simmer gently for 10mins.
5: Uncover the pan, and drop the meatballs gently into the simmering sauce. I try to let these fall in concentric circles, working around the pan from the outside edge inwards, but this is more habit than necessity. {It is a goo idea though, to work outside in so that you don't accidentally smoosh one meatball with another} Bring it back up to the boil, then turn the heat down again, put the lid back on and simmer the meatballs for 20mins. Remove the lid, tip in the orzo {or rice}, stir gently and turn up the heat to bring back to a bubble. Cook at a robust simmer for 10-15mins, or until the pasta is cooked {If using rice this should take 20-25mins}. You will have to give the odd gentle stir throughout this time to make sure the pasta{or rice} isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan.
6: Serve in shallow bowls, sprinkled with parsley, and with Parmesan on the table alongside. {I didn't do this I dished it up onto a plate with some boiled veg to serve}