Nigella's Turkey Meatballs with Tomato Sauce - my version

Nigella's Turkey Meatball recipe is all over the internet, so if you want the original recipe - just google it - or buy her books - can't remember which book this recipe is in.. but all her recipes are worth checking out anyway.

Ingredients

For the sauce

• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 carrot, finely grated (put aside half for the meatballs)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped plum tomatoes, plus approximately 2 full cans of water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes + black pepper to taste
• chicken stock - I use 1 of those little jellied pot things of chicken stock that you can get now

For the meatballs

• 250g turkey mince
• 250g chicken mince
• 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp dried thyme

Preparation method

1. For the sauce, finely grate 1 whole carrot. Reserve half of the mixture for the meatballs.
   Finely slice 1 clove of garlic
   
2. Warm the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan or casserole, add the garlic and carrot, along with the thyme, and cook at a moderate to low heat, stirring every now and again, for about 10 minutes.
   
3. Add the cans of plum tomatoes, filling up each empty can with water to add to the pan. In one of the cans of water, stir in the chicken stock jelly. Season with the sugar, salt and pepper, stir well and let the mixture come to a bubble, then turn the heat down and simmer the sauce gently.
   
4. For the meatballs, put all the ingredients for the meatballs, including the reserved carrot and salt according to preference, into a large bowl and gently mix together with your hands.
   
5. When all the meatball ingredients are mixed, start rolling them into balls.
   
6. Drop the meatballs gently into the simmering sauce; Like Nigella suggests, I put them in in circles around the outside of the pan.
   
7. Let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve with spaghetti.
   

Top with parmesan and finely sliced basil.

Cooking Catch-up

Obviously I've been ignoring this blog for a little while.... oops!
And it's not that I haven't been cooking - I have! Heaps! I've even been taking photos - except all I do is instagram them, or post them on facebook.
But a friend recently suggested to me, that since I post so many food photos, I should start a food blog... yeah, already have one of those... just don't post on it!!

So, here's what I've been up to the last few months:

I made upside down gingerbread men Reindeer cookies for the kids I teach, just before Christmas.

I made a cake for a friends impromptu engagement party/picnic.

It was three layers of ombre'd pink, with vanilla buttercream between, and covered in fondant.

 Two cakes to order for staff birthdays - both neopolitan - chocolate, vanilla and strawberry layers, with vanilla buttercream, and fondant.

Another cake to order - Chocolate Guinness cake, with chocolate ganache between 4 layers, and covered in chocolate ganache buttercream, with chocolate shavings. 

I can't remember what sort of cupcakes these were - chocolate of some kind, with what I'll assume is a vanilla buttercream. Ah! And chocolate ganache piped into the centres. Now I remember... they were yum!

Roast pumpkin, kumara and carrot with rocket, feta and bacon. So good! (With a mustardy dressing.)

Pumpkin, Spinach, Feta and oven roasted Tomato Quiche, with Guacamole and Tomato chutney.

Caramelised lime Prawn soft shell tacos, with tomato chutney, guacamole, rocket and lime sourcream.