Lawrence Dallaglio OBE – Polpette Alla Diavola – Meatballs with Diavola Sauce
“Being half Italian, meatballs were a firm family favourite in our household, so I hope you enjoy my recipe. I love the idea of Meatballs for Muscle Dreams which happens in Meatball Month of November! It’s a fantastic way to not only help raise money for a worthy cause but also if together we can ignite the nation’s appetite, then more children and young people with muscular dystrophy will get their Muscle Dreams fulfilled by the Muscle Help Foundation charity! It’s a win-win! I hope the country and my fellow rugby community will get behind this and support it and don’t forget, check out my meatballs recipe! Buon appetito!”
Photo from My Italian Family Cookbook by Lawrence Dallaglio published by Simon & Schuster Illustrated May 2011.
Lawrence Dallaglio OBE
Ex. England Rugby World Cup winner, TV Pundit
SERVES: 4
DIFFICULTY: Easy
PREP TIME: 45 mins
COOKING TIME: 15 mins
Ingredients
500g lean minced beef
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
1 tbsp freshly chopped basil
4 spring onions, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
100g breadcrumbs
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
A little olive oil
300g Jar Dallaglio by Sacla’ Diavola sauce
400g Penne pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Method
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
- Put the mince in a bowl with the herbs, spring onions, lemon zest, breadcrumbs and cinnamon. Mix it all together and season well.
- Take walnut-sized pieces of the mince and roll into balls. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry the meatballs lightly until golden.
- Heat the sauce in a pan and add the meatballs.
- Meanwhile, cook the penne in the boiling water until al dente.
- Add a ladleful of pasta water to the sauce and meatballs – this will loosen the mixture and help bring all the flavours together.
- Drain the pasta well. Return it to the pan and add the meatballs and sauce. Toss everything together.
- Divide among four bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.