/** * https://gist.github.com/samthor/64b114e4a4f539915a95b91ffd340acc */ (function() { var check = document.createElement('script'); if (!('noModule' in check) && 'onbeforeload' in check) { var = false; document.addEventListener('beforeload', function(e) { if (e.target === check) { = true; } else if (!e.target.hasAttribute('nomodule') || !) { return; } e.preventDefault(); }, true); check.type = 'module'; check.src = '.'; document.head.appendChild(check); check.remove(); } }());

Pici verde with roast tomatoes and paprika meatballs

Prepare
30 mins to 1 hour
Cook
30 mins to 1 hour
Serve
Serves 4

Two ingredients – strong Italian '00' flour and spinach – go into this homemade pasta. You can cook it from fresh or leave to dry out. Delicious with these paprika beef and pork meatballs, topped with plenty of fresh basil.

By The Hairy Bikers

From The Hairy Bikers Home for Christmas

Shopping list

Ingredients

For the pasta

For the meatballs

For the roast tomatoes

To garnish

Method

  1. To make the pasta, shake off any excess water from the spinach and put into a food processor with 300g/10½oz of the flour. Blend together until the spinach has completely broken down and formed a dough. You may need to push everything down the sides once or twice. Check the dough – if it is very sticky (this will depend on how wet your spinach is), add more flour. The best texture is soft and very slightly tacky.

  2. Roll out the pasta. Do this by pulling off small balls (around the size of a large marble). Start off by rolling between your hands then laying out on a work surface and rolling lightly with both hands, moving from the centre outwards. If it is very sticky, dust your hands with a little flour, but try not to use too much as it makes the pasta much harder to roll – it will slide away from you.

  3. The pasta can be cooked right away, in a large pan of boiling, salted water, or it can be dried out. If you are cooking from fresh, it will take five minutes; if it is dry, it will take 8-10 minutes.

  4. For the meatballs, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the onion. Cook on a medium to low heat until very soft and translucent, then add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute or two. Remove from the heat and cool.

  5. Put the beef and pork in a large bowl with the breadcrumbs, soured cream (or crème fraîche), two types of paprika, herbs and egg. Add the onion and garlic and season very generously. Mix thoroughly.

  6. Take a small amount of the mixture and fry it. When it is cooked, taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly – meatball mixture often needs more salt than you think. Form the mixture into 20 balls.

  7. To cook, either preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and bake for 18-20 minutes, turning them over halfway through, until well browned and piping hot in the centre. Or heat some oil in a large frying pan and cook them in two batches, turning regularly.

  8. For the roast tomatoes, lay the tomatoes in a roasting tin or ceramic ovenproof dish, cut-side up. Sprinkle with salt, thyme leaves, garlic and the olive oil, then roast for around 10 minutes, or until well softened and very slightly browned round the edges.

  9. Serve the meatballs and tomatoes with all the pan juices over the pasta, garnished with plenty of basil and grated parmesan.