Papperdelle with a ragu of tiny meatballs...

According to Jamie, this is an easy crowd-pleaser. I chose it because I felt like making pasta again (we got a pasta maker a couple of months ago for our wedding, and we've made it three or four times before now) and because it looked like comforting October fare.

First we made the pasta - kneading really does release tension. It might do a better job if our work surfaces weren't that bit too high for me. Anyway. Then I made the meatballs - a mixture of minced beef, chilli, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg, lemon and Parmesan plus seasoning. Rolling these teeny balls took some time too. England were losing noisily in the next room while I rolled what seemed like hundreds of little balls. Meanwhile the sauce had been simmering (tomatoes, garlic, balsamic, olive oil, basil, chilli); eventually I added the meatballs to the sauce.

Assembling the dish is easy: cook the pasta briefly, toss with the meatballs and sauce, add Parmesan, a knob of butter. Serve with basil and more Parmesan.



It was delicious. For some reason my pic doesn't look like Jamie's. Mainly because I didn't use a crinkle cutter to cut my pasta as he suggested - I used a cutter attachment on the pasta maker, to speed things up. I don't think it hurt the dish though - it was really good. A second batch of meatballs and pasta are freezing ready for leftovers next week. And I am off to watch Nigella on Who Do You Think You Are, secure in domestic goddess-mode (how can I not feel like that? making pasta, like making bread, makes me feel like a domestic goddess - although sadly I am not) and ready to plan tomorrow's dinner!