Homemade Meatballs with spaghetti in tomato sauce

I was supposed to make a posting into this blog much much earlier but it turns out that my first attempt to bake and record it for this blog ran into some problems. Was preparing the ingredients for Dark Chocolate and Orange Muffins (recipe courtesy of http://ilovemilkandcookies.blogspot.com/) when I accidentally shred off half a fingernail on the fourth finger of my left hand.....waah......the pain is extreme and blood that follows is horrifying....well I will spare you guys the gross details. To cut the story short, this accident kinda of waylay my plans to cook, bake and post. :(

However, luckily my fingernail grew back faster than I expected and now I am back to cooking and baking. Bravo! Needless to say, I am happy like a lark to be able to use my left hand again. It is only during the period when I lose my fingernail that I realize how important every part of our body is. Fingernail of a fourth finger on left hand might not sound like a big major body part but I realize how everything small and big works together to ensure the efficiency usage of our fingers......Isn't it amazing that God thought of everything when He is creating us?

In any case, I am really glad to start cooking. So I started thinking long and hard what I should post for my first food blog and after much "deliberation" (actually did not take that long to decide :p), I decided to share a simple recipe which my family and friends like pretty much - homemade meatballs with spaghetti in tomato sauce. For those who loves simple spaghetti without too many ingredients, I think the meatballs will go pretty well with the spaghetti. The meatballs can be prepared in advance and kept in the freezer and de-froze in advance prior to cooking the spaghetti. This will save a lot of cooking time cos only need to cook the spaghetti and toss it into tomato sauce. I added blanched broccoli and carrots and it makes a very filling and fulfilling meal. The meatballs can also be simmered in teriyaki sauce and served over hot rice if spaghetti is not your cup of tea (more like plate of pasta!). For now, here is the recipe.

Homemade Meatballs with Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce
makes about 10 - 12 meatballs

400g minced meat (pork, chicken or beef) - I used pork
Half an egg, beaten
Half an onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon of tomato sauce (ketchup)
Breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for pan frying meatballs
Pasta of your choice - I had spaghetti
Tomato-based Pasta sauce
Extra virgin olive oil for pasta

Mix the minced meat, egg, onions, ketchup, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper together in a big mixing bowl.
Take a tablespoon of the mixture and using your hands, mould it into a small round ball. Repeat the step till all the minced meat is used up.
Heat up some oil in a pan and place the meatballs on the pan.
Pan fried till it is brown on both sides, remove from pan. (Pan fry over medium fire to avoid burning the meatballs)
Boil water in a big pot and add the pasta when water boils. Add a pinch of salt into the boiling water.
Cook the pasta till "al dente" and wash it under running water. Drain and add extra virgin olive oil. Stir through to ensure the pasta is well coated with the olive oil. Set aside for use later.
In a pot, heat up the pasta sauce. When it boils add the meatballs. Serve hot over a plate of pasta with blanched broccoli, carrot and cherry tomatoes.