Ro’s Spicy Meatball Spaghetti

Serves 4 castaways, preparation time less than 30 mins, cooking time c.20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 x 400g/14oz cans tomatoes
  
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
  
• 4 tbsp roughly chopped fresh basil
  
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 tsp caster sugar
  
• 500g/1lb 2oz pork mince
  
• 90g/3oz streaky bacon, finely chopped
  
• 2 tsp thyme leaves
  
• 2 tbsp flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
  
• 300g/10½oz dried spaghetti
  

Heat a frying pan when hot add the tomatoes and olive oil and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the garlic, chilli and half of the basil and cook for 10 minutes, until reduced and thickened. Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little sugar.

Place the pork mince, bacon, thyme and parsley into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Season with a little salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Divide the mixture into 16 and shape each portion into a small ball.

Place the meatballs into the tomato sauce and simmer for 5-8 minutes until the meatballs are completely cooked through.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.

Add the spaghetti and cook according to packet instructions.

Drain the spaghetti, then add to the tomato and meatball sauce. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the remaining basil.

Ro’s Rock Pool Scallops with Chorizo

Serves 8 as a starter. Preparation time less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients:
• 110g/4oz chorizo sausage
• 400g/1lb small scallops (or larger ones, halved across the middle), removed from their shells
• Juice of half a lemon
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Slice the chorizo into rounds no more than 1cm thick.

Place a pan over a medium heat and fry the chorizo (without adding any oil, as the chorizo will give out plenty of its own oil) for about two minutes, or until crisp on both sides.

Remove the chorizo from the pan and transfer to a bowl. In the same pan, fry the scallops in the oil left by the chorizo for about a minute on each side.

Return the chorizo to the pan with the scallops, add the lemon juice and let it bubble for a few seconds.

To serve, place the chorizo and scallops onto a serving plate and sprinkle over the parsley. Serves eight as a starter with a few salad leaves.

Getting Tacky... from Stephen

Could I please remind everyone that if you wish to put up posters around the building would you please use BLUE TAC rather than sellotape, available either from myself or ERM.   

Sellotape makes unsightly marks on the lift or even worse removes the paint from the walls!

Thank you!!