Follow Twisted chef Tom on his culinary journey as he makes his interpretation of a classic spaghetti and meatballs recipe; Inspired by both his love for Bun Cha - the world-famous Vietnamese dish of grilled pork and noodles - and a cancelled trip to Calabria!
For the sauce, put all of the ingredients in to a saucepan and place over a medium-low heat and cook for 1 hour. Remove the onion halves and basil stalks. Set aside until ready.
For the meatballs, puree your onion and garlic until smooth and add to the breadcrumbs. Mix to combine and set aside to hydrate for 10 minutes. Grind your spices to a rough powder. To the breadcrumb mix, add spices, a third of both the meats, the eggs and the salt and mix well. It should be pasty and wet. Add all remaining ingredients and gently mix until everything is just combined. Form into large meatballs (this makes about 10 meatballs if you are making spring rolls, otherwise 12) and place on a lined tray. Place under the grill (broiler) for 6 minutes or so then flip and cook grill (broil) for a further 6 minutes. Drop into your (hot) tomato sauce, place the lid on and remove from the heat to finish poaching in the hot sauce.
For the spring rolls, form the meatball mix into 40g logs and place a strip of mozzarella in each one. Dip your rice wrappers into the warm (sugared) water very briefly and place onto an oiled surface or plate. Place the meatball piece in along with a basil leaf (if using) in the centre of the round wrapper and fold tightly like a burrito, ensuring to remove any air bubbles as you go. Repeat with the remaining mixture then place uncovered in the fridge for 20 minutes or so before deep frying at 170°C until crisp and lightly golden. Remove to a rack until you are ready to serve.
Boil your pasta to very al dente in plenty of salted boiling water and add to sauce (from which you have removed your now-perfect meatballs). Add a little pasta water if the sauce and pasta is too dry. Transfer the tomato pasta to a plate and top with the meatballs and a smattering of parmesan.
Build your bowls with a little pasta, a meatball, fresh herbs, toasted pine nuts, radicchio and the crisp spring roll. Dig in!
