When a close friend of mine asked me to post a Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe, I thought to myself…“but da's not trini”… but then coming to think about it, the preparation is Trinidadian. So, what makes the preparation trini? Everything! : the herbs used; the type of utensils used i.e. iron pot; the choice of cooking oil (coconut oil ) and last but not least it was made by Trini hands.
Spaghetti and Meatballs: A Fast Cook
So there is my reason for posting. Other than that, this spaghetti recipe was really easy to prepare and could be categorized in Trini terms as a “fast cook”. Since this dish is basically pasta and meat in a sauce, I'm already seeing that you could be flexible with either the sauce or meat. So instead of the usual ground beef, like I used, you could use chicken, pork, fish or soya although I feel that adjustments would have to be made for the fish and soya. You may have to use more egg and crumbs to help the meatball to bind. As I always say “Anyone can coo…” No, no, no, no, no Chef Gusteau from Ratatouille said that 😀 …………
Ahem! As I always say ” Experiment!”
As usual, this recipe went down well without any hiccups and tasted …….well I'll leave that for you to decide. What I am thinking of doing next time we make this, is to add grated cheese to the sauce with extra chadon beni; to kick the flavour up a notch…. The pepper I'll add, when I'm enjoying it. You know I have to put pepper 🙂 So here's Spaghetti and Meatballs; a little bit of Italy from a Trini kitchen. Enjoy!
Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS
Ingredients:
1 pack spaghetti 400g
1 pound mince meat, seasoned
1 egg
½ cup biscuit crumbs or bread crumbs
3 cups tomato sauce
oil for frying
Direction:
Cook the spaghetti and set aside.
Season the mince meat and leave to marinate overnight. The minced meat was seasoned this time with garlic, pimento peppers, onion, chive, celery, culantro, thyme, parsley, paprika, oregano, basil, and salt. Cook the meat in a deep pot over a medium flame.
Add a little water and cook until the meat is tender. Strain and remove most of the meat from the pot and set aside to cool.
Biscuit crumbs were for the meat balls this time. Place the biscuits in a clean towel and crushed them with a bailna (rolling pin). Set aside.
Add the biscuit crumbs or bread crumbs to the meat. Mix and roll into meat balls about 2 inches in diameter. You may have to add more crumbs to ensure the meat binds in a ball.
Fry the meat balls in a deep pot or frying pan. Fry until they are golden brown.
Note: Add more oil and deep fry for a crispier texture.
Place on a plate to drain.
Place on a plate to drain.
Pour the tomato sauce over the remaining mince meat and mix well. (Season with finely chopped chive, cilantro, and parsley if desired. Some tomato sauce comes prepared with seasonings.). Cook over a low flame for about 5 minutes. Add the meat balls to the pot. Serve hot with spaghetti.
Spaghetti and Meatballs Tips:
- Though meatballs are usually made with just one type of meat, you can also make your meatballs with a combination of meat, such as beef and pork, or beef and lamb, or even a combination of beef, pork and lamb.
- Always wet your hands before you start making the meatballs.
More to come. See you soon!
P.S. Leave your comments below. I look forward to hearing how you cook your spaghetti and meatballs dish.
Spaghetti and Meatballs Trinistyle
Ingredients
- 1 pack spaghetti 400g about 7 cups cooked pasta
- 1 lb. mince meat seasoned
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup biscuit crumbs or bread crumbs
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- Oil for frying optional
Instructions
- Season the mince meat and leave to marinate overnight. (The minced meat was seasoned this time with garlic, pimento peppers, onion, chive, celery, culantro, thyme, parsley, paprika, oregano, basil, and salt).
- Cook the meat in a deep pot over a medium flame. Add a little water and cook until the meat is tender . Strain and remove most of the meat from the pot and set aside to cool.
- Biscuit crumbs were for the meat balls this time. Place the biscuits in a clean towel and crushed them with a bailna (rolling pin). Set aside. Add the egg and biscuit crumbs or bread crumbs. Mix and roll into meat balls about 2 inches in diameter.
- You may have to add more crumbs to ensure the meat binds in a ball. Fry the meat balls in a deep pot or frying pan. Fry until they are golden brown. (Note: Add more oil and deep fry for a crispier texture).
- Place on a plate to drain. Pour the tomato sauce over the remaining mince meat and mix well. (Season with finely chopped chive, cilantro, and parsley if desired. Some tomato sauce comes prepared with seasonings.).
- Cook over a low flame for about 5 minutes. Add the meat balls to the pot. Serve hot.
I always like the Caribbean take on cuisines such as the Italian. Your dish looks hearty!
oh wow, those meatballs look well nice!!! XD
Today is World Pasta Day (October 25th). Think I’m gonna try this recipe out! BTW, love the CRIX biscuit crumbs!
Hi the first time I made the meat balls it was not moist inside. It was very dry. I used chicken breast to make it. Where did I go wrong? Thanks
Chicken is usually a dry kind of meat…Learnt that from making chicken pastelle in the past. So you didn’t go wrong. What you could do is add a little oil to to the chicken to help with the moisture issue.
This recipe is lifeee!!
My wife is from Trinidad when we would visit her home there her mom often made spaghetti with a meat sauce and spaghetti combined but it wasn’t red. She might’ve used Mabel’s ketchup? I wish I knew that recipe. I also made spaghetti lots of times while I was there over the years but as you say, with Trini ingredients, it comes out better! I would get the minced meat from the meat cottage in St. James I was told there that it’s not ground beef it’s minced meat from the beef cut called clod. I bought all my ingredients there the spaghetti and the seasoning, but of course mine was with tomato sauce unlike my mother-in-law‘s everyone liked it because it was Yankee Spaghetti!