Spaghetti con polpette "Pompeii"

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 200 g minced beef
• 40 g stale bread rolls
• 1 tbsp whole milk
• 1 egg(s)
• 15 basil leaves
• ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley
• some sea salt from the mill
• some pepper from the mill
• 100 g Parmesan
• 1 chili pepper(s), red
• 400 g tomato(s), fruity
• some olive oil
• 1 m.-large onion(s), red
• 2 garlic cloves
• possibly red wine
• 200g spaghetti

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

Spaghetti with meatballs in tomato sauce

Briefly soak the rolls in warm water and then carefully squeeze out any excess water, e.g., in a kitchen towel. Then tear them into as small pieces as possible. Finely chop the fresh parsley and basil, and freshly grate the Parmesan cheese. Combine the ground beef, the torn roll, milk, egg(s), parsley, basil, sea salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and about 80g of Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. If you like it spicy, you can also add some freshly chopped chili pepper. Knead everything together carefully for at least 10 minutes until smooth. With moistened hands, roll the mixture into small balls, ideally no larger than 1.5cm in diameter and roughly the same size. Dip the tomatoes in hot water for about 10 seconds and remove. Then remove the skin and dice them. Roughly dice the onion and garlic and sauté in olive oil in a large pan. Add the diced tomatoes and heat through, seasoning with sea salt and pepper to taste. Slowly add a little hot water and then carefully roll the meatballs into the sauce. If you like, you can also add a good sip of a rich red wine. Reduce the heat and simmer in the covered pan for 50-60 minutes. If necessary, add a little more hot water occasionally (use it carefully so the sauce doesn’t become too runny!). Tip: the longer the cooking time, the more intense the flavor! In a pasta pot, cook the spaghetti “al dente” according to the package instructions. After draining, rinse briefly with cold water and drain carefully in a colander. Add the spaghetti to the sauce and mix well. Divide among pasta plates and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese, if desired. Garnish the plates with one or two basil leaves.