Fantasy Veggie Dinner Guests – LADY AND THE TRAMP

Dogs eating a vegetarian meal?  Why not? Anything can happen in this world.

In 1955 Lady, a beautiful cocker spaniel, met Tramp, a mongrel from the wrong side of the tracks. She was not the first and she certainly won’t be the last to be enticed down from her ivory tower by a bad boy with character.

Even if you haven’t seen the whole film, you are sure to know the scene where they eat the meatballs and end up chewing the same piece of spaghetti.

If I had them round for dinner, you know what I would serve...

SPAGHETTI AND ‘MEAT’BALLS

Serves 2-3 (makes about 18 balls)

For the ‘Meat’balls

150g Quorn mince

1 small onion, finely chopped

4tbsp mixed herbs – fresh from the garden if possible (or 2tbsp dried)

75g fresh breadcrumbs

1 free-range egg, beaten with a fork

1tbsp olive oil

200ml vegetable stock

2tbsp Bisto instant gravy granules

2tbsp plain flour

For the Sauce

1tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 large tins chopped tomatoes

2tbsp red wine vinegar

½tbsp caster sugar

2tbsp fresh herbs or 1tbsp dried

2tbsp tomato ketchup

Plus:

spaghetti (about 100g per portion)

grated hard cheese

fresh basil leaves

First make the meatballs

Heat the oil and fry the onion until soft.

Add 50ml stock and stir.Then add the mince, the rest of the stock and the Bisto. Stir well until all the stock has been absorbed.

Allow to cool, then tip this into a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, mixed herbs, eggs, lots of seasoning and the flour. Stir well.

Heat oven to 220˚C/ Gas 7.

Making sure your hands are well-floured, roll the mince mixture into golf-ball-size balls. (This can be a bit fiddly – you may need to wash your hands a few times).

Spread the balls out on a roasting tray. 

Roast for 10 minutes. Gently turn them over with a knife – be careful: they will be hot – and the roast for about 10 minutes more until browned.

Meanwhile, make the sauce

Heat the oil. Add the garlic and sizzle for 1 min.

Stir in the tomatoes, red wine vinegar, sugar, tomato ketchup, herbs and seasoning. Simmer for 15-20 mins until slightly thickened.

When ready to eat

Cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions.

Add the cooked meatballs to the pan of sauce and heat until sauce bubbles and meatballs are hot right through.

Put the spaghetti on plates. Spoon the sauce and meatballs over spaghetti and serve with grated hard cheese and basil leaves.