Stuffed Lamb Meatballs Tagliatelle

I had some lamb left over and decided to make a pasta meal.

Makes for 2 People

Meatballs

225g Lamb Mince

Feta Cheese (about 75g), cut into small cubes

Olive Oil

Sauce
400g Can of Chopped Tomatoes
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Small Onion, finely chopped
75g Green Olives
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Dried Oregano
125ml Red Wine
Salt and Pepper

150g Tagliatelle
Knob of Butter

1. For the meatballs take a bit of mince and round it to a ball. Depending on how big you want your meatballs. Tip: Don't do them too big or they could fall apart in the pan. Then make a dent in the balls and place the feta cheese in it. Then cover with the meat so it's in the centre. You can make 10-12 meatballs.

2. Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in the frying pan. Fry the meatballs until they are browned on all sides. Then add the garlic and onions and fry for a further 2 minutes until the onions soften.

3. Then add the red wine. Allow a few minutes for it to reduce and add the chopped tomatoes and herbs to the frying pan. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes. 2 minutes before the sauce is done add the olives to the pan. Season if needed.

4. Boil a pan of water and cook the tagliatelle, while the sauce is cooking. Follow the instructions on the pasta pack. Using fresh may take less time. Drain the pan and add the knob of butter.

5. Once both the pasta and sauce are done, put the pasta in a bowl and add the sauce (make sure both servings have equal meatballs otherwise there will be complaints).  Serve Immediately

Houmous (V)

Houmous is another picnic favourite which tastes so much better when you make it yourself and it doesn't take that much time at all. Serve with bits of pitta, carrot sticks and cucumber sticks.

Serves 4

1 x 400g Can of Chickpeas
1 Garlic clove, crushed
4 tbsp Plain Yoghurt
4 tbsp Tahini Paste
3 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Handful of Corriander, chopped
Splash of Lemon Juice

1. Put everything apart from the coriander and 1 tbsp of the olive oil in the food processor. Blend together and spoon whatever is on the side of the processor after its finished blending

2. Taste and season. Add the coriander and blitz again. Spoon into a serving bowl/Tupperware and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with pitta bread, carrot sticks and cucumber stick

Hearty Fried Rice

Jam packed full of different things and will fill you up. You will need to prep this the night before.

Serves: 4
Sesame Seed Oil
3 medium eggs, beaten
1 Medium onion, cut into edges
300g Ham (thick sliced), cut into cubes OR lardons
300g Rice
Mug of frozen peas (Boil in a pan of water before adding the wok)
2 tbps soy sauce
4 Spring Onions
250g pack of Cooked Prawns

1. The night before, wash and boil the rice. Once cooked through, store in the fridge over night.

2. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the egg to the pan. Once the egg has just set, break apart in the pan with the spatula or spoon and set aside.

3. Add a bit of oil to the pan and fry the onion until soft (this should take a couple of minutes). Once softened, add the ham/lardons and stir fry for a minute. Then add the rice and peas and stir fry for a couple of minutes.

4. Then add the eggs, soy sauce, spring onion and prawns and heat through. Serve.