Italian Inspired Lamb Meatballs with Kale & Puttanesca Pasta

Tue, 8 November 2022

Aisling Larkin's Italian Inspired Lamb Meatballs with Kale & Puttanesca Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 500g lamb mince
• 75g breadcrumbs
• 50ml milk
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 anchovies
• Black pepper
• Puttanesca Sauce
• 500ml tomato passata
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• Chicken stock cube
• 1 tsp capers
• 6/7 leaves calovo nero kale
• 30g parmesan
• 5 litres water
• ½ tsp salt
• 240g uncooked pasta of your choice
• Basil leaves, to serve

Method

Mise en Place: Preheat the oven to 180? ( fan oven ). Bring a big pot of salted water to
the boil. Remove the stalk from the kale.

Meatballs: Soak the breadcrumbs in milk. Grate in the garlic, finely mince two of the
anchovies. Season with black pepper. Add in the mince. Combine, shape and roll each
meatballs to about 50g.
Heat the olive oil in the pan and brown off the meatballs. Transfer to an oven tray and bake
until golden brown and the juices run clear.
Plunge the kale into the pot of pasta water for 2/3 minutes. Remove and plunge into a bowl
of cold water. Place on a chopping board and shred finely.

Puttanesca Sauce: Warm the olive oil, anchovies, capers and garlic together. After 4/5
minutes pour in the tin of tomatoes. Sprinkle in the brown sugar and add in the stock pot.
Allow this to simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add in the kale at the end.
Boil the pasta, cook until al dente and drain. Toss the pasta into the kale and puttanesca
sauce.

To Serve: Warm flat pasta bowls. Spoon in the pasta sauce, sit the meatballs on top.
Garnish with tonnes of freshly grated Parmesan, a crack of black pepper and enjoy.