Spaghetti Pomodoro

Remove from the heat, transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the beef mince and half the tomato purée. Season with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Mix together. Use damp hands to shape the meat into small (ping pong sized) balls around each cube of mozzarella cheese. TIP: This is a perfect job for small hands, keep hands damp so the meatballs don’t get too sticky.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Heat a glug of oil in the (now empty) frying pan on medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs for 10-15 mins, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides and cooked through. Take them out of the pan and set aside. Be gentle when turning the meatballs, otherwise they might fall apart. TIP: The meatballs are cooked when they are no longer pink in the middle.

Heat another splash of oil in the same pan. Fry the remaining onion, garlic and Italian herbs for 4 mins until soft. Add the tinned tomatoes and water (amount specified in the ingredient list) to the sauce along with the remaining tomato purée and the beef stock pot. Simmer until the sauce has reduced by half, 15 mins. Add a pinch of sugar (if you have some).

Add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Cook for 11 mins or until ‘al dente’. TIP: ‘Al dente’ simply means it is cooked through but has a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle.