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    Ghoulish meatballs with wriggly snake pasta

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    Ghoulish meatballs with wriggly snake pasta

    Serves: 4 adults or 6 children

    Ingredients

    2 tbsp olive oil

    1 tsp balsamic vinegar

    2 tsp caster sugar

    2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

    300g pack fresh basil tagliatelle

    150g pack Italian mozzarella cherries (or mini mozzarellas)

    Small handful pitted black olives

     

    GHOULISH MEATBALLS:
    40g fresh white or brown breadcrumbs

    500g lean beef mince (10% fat)

    1 onion, roughly chopped

    2 garlic cloves, crushed

    10g coriander, leaves and stalks, roughly chopped

    10g basil, leaves and stalks, roughly chopped

    1 egg, lightly beaten

    1 tsp ground paprika

    Pinch of chilli powder

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 220˚C, gas mark 7. Put the meatball ingredients in a food processor, season and blitz until combined. Using wet hands to stop the mixture sticking, shape into walnut-sized balls.

    2. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and gently turn in the oil. There is no need to brown them at this stage, simply put the dish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, turning
    the meatballs over halfway through.

    3. Stir the balsamic vinegar and sugar into the chopped tomatoes, season, then pour over the lightly browned meatballs. Return to the oven for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.

    4. Just before the meatballs are ready, cook the pasta according to pack instructions. To serve, divide the tagliatelle between plates and spoon over the meatballs and sauce. To give the dish a ghoulish appearance, sit the mozzarella cherries among the meatballs. Put thin slices of black olive onto each ball to make them look like eyeballs, then finish off by using the tip of a knife or a cocktail stick dipped into the tomato sauce to draw on lines to make the eyeballs look bloodshot.

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