Tom Parker-Bowles says: Meatballs are Italian-American food at its best, star of more mob movies than you can shake a Cannolli at.

Purists may argue that Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese’s red sauce splashed classic, was the meatball’s greatest ever cinematic moment. "Veal, beef, pork..." mumbles Vinny, cooking up his prison feast. "You gotta have the pork. That’s the flavour." As well as cutting the garlic with a razor blade.

But it’s actually in Point Break, Kathryn Bigelow’s brilliant surf, run and rob film, where the meatball reaches its peak. So fine is the sandwich that it actually causes the cops, who are on stakeout, to miss the bank being robbed. Meatballs have that sort of effect when done well.

Serves: 6
NB: Tom cooks half this quantity on the show

For Meatballs
1 kg pork mince
0.5 kg steak or beef mince
3 eggs
Big handful of salt
Lots of pepper
150g breadcrumbs, soaked in milk for 10 minutes
1 tsp dried chillies

For sauce
3 onions, chopped
3 fresh chillies, chopped
2 cloves garlic
5 tins chopped tomatoes
8 leaves basil
Olive oil
2 packets dried spaghetti

Method

  1. To make meatballs, mix all ingredients together then chill for 30 minutes (the mixture, not you). Then roll into small, squash ball sized balls.
  2. Fry in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, but leave inside a little underdone, as they cook when out of pan.
  3. For sauce, cook onion, garlic and chillies until soft. Add tomatoes, season and simmer for 40 minutes, adding torn basil at end.
  4. Start to cook spaghetti and when five minutes away, move to simmering cooked meatballs in sauce for 5 minutes.
  5. Then simmer cooked meatballs in sauce for 5 minutes
  6. Mix pasta and meat in huge bowl and serve with more Parmsan.