Meatballs in a spicy sauce with Alsatian Pasta

Serves 4

Pasta is not what comes to mind when you think of French food, but Alsace (the French region bordering Germany) is renowned for its egg pasta. Most pasta is made of hard wheat flour and water, whereas Alsatian pasta is made from hard wheat flour and fresh eggs.

400g pasta, preferably Alsatian egg pasta
250g sausagemeat (or sausage with casings removed)
250g minced beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
chopped parsley, to garnish
For the spicy sauce:
500m1 veal or beef stock, warm
30g butter
30g Plain flour
30g lardons or cubes of smoked bacon
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
175ml red wine
1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley stalks, peppercorns)
2 tablespoons cornichons, finely chopped
2 tablespoons capers, finely chopped

To make the sauce, fry the vegetables and lardons on a medium heat until golden. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon, then add the butter. Melt over a medium heat, sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly until it turns an almost Coca-Cola colour Turn the heat down to low and slowly pour in the warm stock, whisking energetically Add the tomato paste and wine and whisk until the paste has dissolved. Pop the fried vegetables and lardons back into the pan, add the bouquet garni and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Pour the sauce through a sieve and add the chopped cornichons and capers. Taste for seasoning and set aside until needed.

Meanwhile, make the meatballs. Mix together the minced beef and sausagemeat. Form balls slightly smaller than a golf ball. Fry in a large non-stick frying pan with the olive oil for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Pour the sauce over the meatballs, stir together and heat through.

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Drain and serve with the meatballs in the sauce, sprinkled with a little chopped parsley.

(The Little Paris Kitchen - Rachel Khoo)