PASTA WITH MEATBALLS & CHARD

This hearty dish is a little higher in calories and carbs than most of the recipes in the book.

Yet it makes a great family supper. Our meatballs are dead tasty but if you really want a quick meal you could use shop-bought meatballs. Just don’t tell anyone.

SERVES 4

Meatballs

★ 400g minced pork

★ 1 garlic clove, crushed or grated

★ zest of 1 lemon

★ ½ tsp fennel seeds

★ ½ tsp chilli powder

★ 40g wholemeal breadcrumbs

★ 1 egg

★ 2 tbsp olive oil

★ salt and black pepper

Pasta & sauce

★ 1 onion, finely chopped

★ 200g chard, stems and leaves separated, finely chopped

★ 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

★ 100ml white wine

★ 400g short pasta, such as penne

★ 100g cream cheese

★ lemon juice

1 First make the meatballs. M ix together all the ingredients except the oil, and season with salt and pepper, then form the mixture into 16 balls. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs. Sear them on the underside, being careful not to turn them, until they lift off the pan cleanly, then sear them on the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2 Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan and add the onion and chard stems. Sauté them until softened and translucent, then add the garlic. Cook for another couple of minutes, then stir in the chard leaves. When they have wilted down, add the white wine. L et it boil for a couple of minutes, then add the meatballs and season

with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and leave to simmer for 10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.

3 In another pan, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water, then drain, reserving a couple of ladlefuls of the cooking water.

4 Mix the cream cheese with enough of the reserved cooking water to give it the texture of double cream, then add this and the pasta to the meatballs and chard. Simmer for a couple of minutes to make sure everything is hot, adding a little more of the cooking water if necessary. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, season with plenty of pepper, then serve.