Spaghetti and meatballs

A 500g pack of spaghetti will be fine for four to six people as long as you have lots of meatballs - you need about 150g cooked pasta per portion for a main course.

Serves 4
150ml olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
salt and pepper
200g fresh breadcrumbs
1kg beef mince
1 handful chopped parsley, or some other herbs if you like
200-250ml red wine
6 large fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
500g dried spaghetti
parmesan cheese, grated

Put the olive oil in a large, heavy casserole. Add the onions, a really good grinding of black pepper, and some salt. Turn the heat to medium and cook the onions slowly until soft, without letting them colour. Put 200ml water in a large bowl. Add half the cooked onions and the breadcrumbs.

Take the casserole off the heat, then lift out the rest of the onions, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan, and set them aside for the sauce. Add the mince, chopped parsley and lots of salt and pepper to the soaked breadcrumb mixture. Mix really well, until the whole thing becomes a paste, rather than lumpy. Shape the mixture into balls about the size of a ping-pong ball.

Put the casserole over a high heat, add the meatballs and cook them for a good 10 minutes, turning them often, until they are well browned. Take them out and add the reserved cooked onions to the casserole along with the red wine. As it boils, scrape all the brown bits off the base of

the pan. Add the fresh tomatoes and stir over a high heat until they start to break down. Add the canned tomatoes and a canful of water, bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes.

Put the meatballs back in the pan, return to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile cook the spaghetti and grate the cheese. I like to put the whole lot together in the casserole for serving, but many don't, so it's your choice.

· John Torode's Beef and Other Bovine Matters is published by Quadrille, £20. To order a copy for £18 with free UK p&p go to observer.co.uk/bookshop or call 0870 836 0885.