SPAGHETTI WITH ‘MEATBALLS’
SERVES 4 PREP + COOK TIME: 1 HOUR (+ REFRIGERATION)
• ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
• 1 large onion (200g), chopped finely
• 600g Swiss Brown mushrooms, chopped finely
• 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil, extra
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cup (100g) fresh breadcrumbs
• 2/3 cup (60g) rolled oats
• 410g tin chickpeas, drained, rinsed
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 25g dried shiitake mushrooms, grated (see tip), plus extra to serve
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley
• ¼ cup (40g) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 400g spaghetti
MARINARA SAUCE
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion (200g), chopped finely
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 fresh long red chilli, seeded, chopped finely
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ cup (125ml) dry white wine
• 3 x 410g tins crushed tomatoes
1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the onion; cook for 4 minutes or until golden. Add the Swiss Brown mushrooms and 1 tablespoon extra oil; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until all the liquid is evaporated and the mushrooms are golden.
2. Add the garlic and oregano; cook for a further minute. Remove from the heat; cool for 5 minutes. Pulse the mushroom mixture with the breadcrumbs, oats, chickpeas, chia seeds, shiitake mushrooms and ¼ cup of the parsley. Season to taste; pulse until the mixture resembles a paste.
3. Place the flour in a large tray. Using slightly damp hands, roll heaped tablespoonfuls of the mixture into 24 ‘meatballs’. Gently roll the balls in the flour; place on a large tray lined with baking paper. Refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours or until firm.
4. Meanwhile, make the marinara
sauce (see recipe, below).
5. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add half the extra oil. Cook the meatballs in batches, gently shaking the pan occasionally, for 6 minutes until evenly browned; add the remaining extra oil as needed. Add the marinara sauce to the pan; toss very gently to combine and warm through, taking care not to break up the ‘meatballs’.
6. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling water for 7 minutes or until almost tender; drain.
7. Serve the spaghetti topped with the ‘meatball’ mixture, extra grated shiitake and the remaining parsley; drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
MARINARA SAUCE
1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 4 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic, chilli and oregano; cook for a further minute or until fragrant. Increase the heat to high. Add the wine; cook for 1 minute or until evaporated. Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to the medium;