MY Spicy Meatballs (not Mama's)

You know you want it...

I once read in a 'foodie' magazine that one should never use wine when cooking, that one wouldn't be happy to drink. Balls to that. I have, on average, 4-5 half drunk, verging on vinagary bottles of red in the kitchen, plus a cheeky, definitely undrinkable white in the fridge (why it's still in the fridge 3 weeks after opening, I don't know). I would never throw wine out; it vexes me to pour the delicious freshly opened Rioja I'm glugging into the casserole, when a bottle past it's best will do fine. Like I said, I usually have a nice collection of said 'mature' wine, so this rarely happens.

So yes, there is red wine in this recipe. This one pot wonder of a dish is brilliant because, um, it's in one pot. It also involves minimal faffing, is great to cook in a massive batch for the freezer, and tastes lush.

Feeds four: Pre-heat the oven to 200c. In a large bowl combine 500g beef mince, 2tbsp chopped stoned black olives, 2tbsp grated Parmesan, 1tbsp chopped parsley, as much chopped fresh or dried chili as you desire/can handle, 1 egg and a smallish finely chopped onion and seasoning. Roll into same sized meatballs, big ones, little ones, you choose ( I like little ones because you get more, yessss), and place in a very lightly oiled deep baking tray or casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Now add a very big glass of red wine, rolling the meatballs round a bit and bake for another 10 minutes. Stir in a tin of chopped tomatoes, mix well, combining the meat juices and wine with the tomatoes and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until the tops of the meatballs have browned and the sauce has thickened. Serve with whatever type of pasta you fancy and get stuck in.*

*Do remember this recipe is for 4, so don't feel you have to eat the lot, it can be very tricky resisting this urge, and The Little Dinner Lady takes no responsibility for weight gain caused by this recipe, or any other recipe for that matter. She has her own to worry about.

Ground lamb with peas, please.

Don't eat these bits.

I was supposed to cook this Indian dish on Friday, I'd remembered to take the lamb mince out of the freezer and everything. However, there was one set-back in the form of a trip to the local straight after work. I arrived first, got my pint of Stowford Press in, along with the mandatory pork scratchings, and was soon joined by Boyfriend and my lovely friend Hannah, both whom share my enthusiasm for cider and pork scratchings. Too many pints later and rushing home to cook was seeming less and less appealing, and we peeled ourselves out of the pub and into our favourite Indian restaurant almost next door. I'm glad we did this, I once cooked herb and polenta crusted haddock at midnight, after being in the pub all night, and half way through I nearly gave up. Inebriated cooking is so hard.

Well I had to cook the mince so I did it today and it smells so good I am thinking we might have the roast chook tomorrow. But I know Boyfriend wouldn't like that. Roasts are rather important to him and it's best to provide one on Sundays. Especially as he was a good boy today and changed our door lock that seized up while we were skiing, which meant he had to break in to our own house. Clever boy.

Making Ground Lamb With Peas reminds me of making bolognese a bit, similar cooking method and it's a comforting serving of delishiousness that end up making at least once a month. I'm never too precise with the measurements, I lost the recipe and just hope I remember everything. In a medium sized bowl, mix 4tbsp natural yoghurt with three cloves of chopped garlic, a good tsp chopped ginger, a tsp of ground cumin, tumeric and ground coriander, salt, and half a tsp or so of cayenne pepper, more or less depending on how hot you like it. Add 500g lamb mince and mix well with your hands. In a large deep frying pan, fry 6 cardamom pods, a cinnamon stick and a couple of bay leaves for a minute. Add the meat and stir and break up while frying until there is no pink meat left. Throw in a tin of tomatoes and half a pint of water simmer for about half an hour. Add some peas, and keep on the heat until they are cooked. Sprinkle over a tbsp garam masala and chopped coriander and serve. With rice. Obviously. It should feed 3/4 mouths but I've gone back to the kitchen about five times to check it's ok so perhaps just enough for two this time.

Whatever you do don't eat the cardamom pods, they perfume the curry beautifully but are quite frankly rank when bitten into. I try to fish them out, along with the bay leaves and cinnamon, but sometimes I can't be bothered to dig about for them. I don't like finding them in my mouth but it is hilarious when Boyfriend bites one. Worth leaving them in just to see his little face screw up.