El Nido, Palawan's Big and Small Lagoons and some Almond Macarons too!

The place is magical. And leaves me speechless. I have seen the other side of Palawan more than a decade ago. I thought back then that other side was already heaven on earth. I was wrong. The side that we visited a week ago was Nirvana. Not even photos can capture the beauty of the place. But taking photos is next to best thing to capture the memories. Taking photo gathers a recollection of the place, of every nook and cranny, and of the water that warms your exhausted body or your cold heart...

There are many things to do in El Nido, many places for your eyes to feast on and (there is your heart) full of memories that you can keep - the sea water lapping through the shore and against the cottage stilts and the roaring waves lulling you to sleep, or a cacophony of sound that you hear in the island upon waking up and the grand limestones along the thick vegetation of greens leaves a sweet smile on your lips.

Even writing this blog makes me heave a sigh of great contentment and gratitude for having enjoyed paradise for four (4) days that is El Nido Palawan.

We hired a private boat to see the islands of El Nido, Palawan. My sole intention for doing that was for us to be able to take our sweet time soaking in the vista around us and not having people to wait for us. Our first stop was the Big Lagoon. And as soon as we entered the Big Lagoon, we emphatically understood - why this place is the world's best island and why people who visit the place are held captivated.

The stillness of the place enthrals you. You commune with nature. The quietness is palpable as well as infectious. We didnt talk a lot, we were just quietly admiring nature. The beauty of the place is quite disarming. There is seemingly an unspoken agreement among the visitors on the other boats - not to ruin the stillness of the place. The place makes you happy; our happiness is quite obvious and you see other people mirror your emotion by and when they wave back at you from each passing boat. At least that's howI felt. 

Our second stop was the Small Lagoon. It is as impressive as the Big Lagoon. It seems detached - a haughty, petite and beautiful lady beckoning you to admire her yet she remains untouchable. I didn't have an underwater camera and I regretted the opportunity that I have lost.

Having said that,  with no technology to help me capture her beauty, I am forced to make an ode, as feeble as I am, of her beguiling and charming nature. An estuary leads to a small crevice to the small lagoon. And the small lagoon can only be reached by a kayak or if you swam through it. My husband and I paddled though the crevice to reach the small lagoon.

The water was so still - a duel of blue and green. The marine life was rich. You can practically see schools of fish as you peek through the water. The stillness seems revered punctuated only  by the singing of the birds and the trickling down of water through the cavities of the rocks. According to the Locals of El Nido, Palawan, the small lagoon used to be a cave with the roof stone that collapsed, thousands or a million years ago.

The experience to witness the lagoons seems surreal. The place looks surreal. El Nido Palawan is beautiful beyond measure. Its a place to find yourself again battered by the daily grind of life. I invite you to see the place for yourself, my truth is gold.

Nonewithstanding the rain hovering over us on most days we were there, and the grey sky threatening us of the great deluge anytime soon, the lagoons made a great impact on us, and no matter how long it will take, we shall return to the paradise on earth called El Nido Palawan.

Almond French Macaron by Laduree

Recipe for the macaron shells:

2 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (275g) ground almonds

2 cups + 1 tbsp (250g) confectioners sugar

6 egg whites + half and egg white

1 cup + 1 tbsp (210g) granulated sugar

1. combine the ground almonds and confectioners sugar in a food processor and pulse to obtain a fine powder. then strain through a sieve to remove any lumps.

2. in a clean dry bowl, whisk 6 egg whites to a foam. once they are frothy, add a third of the granulated sugar and whip until sugar is dissolved then add another third of the granulated sugar and whip for another minute, finally add the remaining granulated sugar and whip for 1 more minute.

using a rubber spatula, delicately fold in the sifted mixture of ground almonds and confectioners sugar into the whipped egg whites. in a separate bowl whip the remaining egg white until just frothy, then add to the mixture folding it in gently to loosen the batter.

 3. transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a plain tip. on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pipe small macaron rounds 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 in diameter. lightly tap the sheet so the macarons spread fully.

preheat oven to 300f/ 150c or gas mark 2 allow the macarons to sit uncovered for 10 minutes and then place them in the oven,bake for approximately 15 minutes until they form a slight crust.

4. remove from oven and with a small glass carefully pour a tiny amount of water in between the baking sheet and the parchment paper (lift the paper ever so slightly corner by corner).

the moisture and steam that result from the water on the hot baking sheet will allow the macarons to peel of easily once they are cool.

do not pour too much water or the macarons could become soggy.

allow them to cool completely.

Photo taken through my iphone

Photo taken through my iphone

Fillings:

150g butter

320g almond paste

120g unsweetened almond pulp (or heavy cream)

80ml whipping cream

Directions:

1. cut the butter into small pieces. put in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water and soften until creamy, without allowing it to melt.

in a large bowl, thin the almond paste by mixing it with the almond pulp, add the chilled cream and softened butter and beat on high speed with an electric whisk.

spoon the cream into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe on to one of the shells and sandwich another on top.

keep macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for 12 hours before tasting. this is because during this time a reaction takes place among the ingredience further enhancing the flavour and texture.

Ensaimada (Brioche)

A couple of weeks ago, we saw King Kong, the musical (play) at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne. Technically it was brilliant. You kinda appreciate the hard work wired into the movements of arduously making KingKong move like the real thing. To carry the arms and the legs of the mammal is a mammoth task. Pun intended. The head of King Kong was made to move by an electronic board. The limbs' were all due to puppeteers. The story line was old; setting was New York, heroine Anne falling in love with the skipper of the ship that brought them to Skull Island, King Kong saving her from the dangers of jungle, heroine showing empathy to King Kong, King Kong was drugged and brought to Broadway , and the iconic scene on top of the Empire State Building where King Kong fell into the abyss of oblivion. That in a nutshell is the story of the giant gorilla. Although King Kong doesn't belong to my top 3 musical plays (Les Miz remains my all time favourite), I like it as much. Just because.The last musical play I was able to watch was Rock of Ages and that was eons ago. My eyes welled up as soon as they turned off the lights, signalling the start of the show. I literally have shivers shooting down my spine every time the heroine hits an octave higher. 

I like musical plays and Im arty fartsy that way. My little boy tells me so. I love going to the museums, appreciating art. I love old buildings, pebble stones on alleys of brick wall. Soaking in other cultures is up my alley. I cant draw to save my life. But I appreciate good things and hard work and innate talent. of the old world and the new.

This recipe is from old and distant past. It is spanish in origin. Adapted by Filipinos and made it their own. I must say its the best brioche bar none. We call it Ensaimada. And its my favourite merienda or snacks of all time. I try  to make it as less sinful as I can. You can tweak it by putting ube or purple yam in between those rolls or make the butter on top even more sinful and delectable. I chose not too, mindful of those love handles slowly showing their ugly head.

*Snagged from thetummytrain.com

All photos are raw and by NoSetMenu

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water, 100 to 110° F *
6 tablespoons sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature, plus more melted butter for brushing the rolls
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup evaporated milk
canola oil for greasing proofing bowl, baking sheet, and brioche molds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. To proof yeast, add one tablespoon sugar and let stand for 10 minutes. The mixture should foam up and double in volume. This means the yeast is active. If the yeast does not foam and double, discard and repeat.
2. Sift flour and salt together twice. Add about 1/2 cup of flour to the yeast mixture and set aside.
3. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the mixture on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
4. Turn the speed to medium-low, add yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add flour-salt mixture alternately with milk, mixing until well incorporated.
6. Finally add yeast mixture, beating well.
7. Replace the paddle with a kneading hook and knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Alternatively, knead the dough by hand on a clean surface dusted with flour until smooth and elastic.
8. Let the dough rest in a bowl greased lightly with canola oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until double in size, about one to two hours. Meanwhile, brush 12 brioche molds lightly with oil.

9. Once risen, punch down the dough and divide into twelve equal portions.
10. Roll out each piece to a thin sheet, brush with melted butter, and roll it like you would a jelly roll.
11. Coil this into a spiral-shaped bun. Either place the coiled dough flat on greased baking sheets or in greased fluted brioche molds.
12. Set the dough aside to rise a second time, until double in size, about an hour. When the dough is almost done, preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C).
13. Bake until the crust turns golden brown. Brush with melted butter and dust generously with sugar. **

Storage: The rolls will keep for about a day or two at room temperature. Refrigerate to make them last for up to 5 days and simply reheat before eating, if desired. Remember that bread is best eaten fresh.

** You can also top ensaymadas with margarine, a sprinkling of sugar, and some grated cheese, if desired.

Salted Caramel Brownies

What a nice surprise to find my blog NoSetMenu with 36,000++ hits. Say what??  In absentia in blogging for two (2) years, I found my blog with thousands of hits. The thousands is an icing on the cake really. I know 36,000 is a pathetic number, as other bloggers would have millions but hey it is still something to reckon with and be proud of. Somewhere across the universe, there are kindred spirits who share my interest. Lol. My intention of opening a blog is to share with you my love for food. Or creating them for that matter. If randomly you found the recipes and you are able to re-create them then Im a happy camper. I have some pushover friends and friends of my little boy who encouraged me - to open a blog that is; a treasure chest where I could keep memories of my tiny kitchen, an avenue to hone my interest and a  place where my creative juices overflow.

To cut the chase off, here is a recipe that will knock your socks off;

*Recipe snagged from Ed Kimber/TheBoyWhoBakes

** Photos are all mine. All raw.

Salted Caramel Brownies – Makes 12

Salted Caramel Filling
175g caster sugar
150ml double cream
10g unsalted butter
large pinch of flaked sea salt

Fudge Brownies
180g plain flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder (my preferred brand is Green and Blacks)
1/4 tsp salt
300g dark chocolate, around 65-75% cocoa solids
150g unsalted butter
220g light brown sugar
150g caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

To make the caramel place the sugar into a medium saucepan, set over medium heat and cook until the sugar melts and caramelises – make sure to cook it far enough – it should look like the colour of an old penny. Pour in half the cream and all the salt, be careful the mixture will bubbly up violently. Once the mixture has calmed down pour in the remaining cream followed by the butter, if there are any lumps place the pan back on the heat and stir until smooth. Take off the heat and allow to cool and then pour into a squeeze bottle (this makes it easier to spread the caramel later).

For the brownies preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Grease a 9×13 light coloured pan and line with a strip of parchment leaving about a 2-inch overhang along the long edges to make removing the brownies easier. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside. Place the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water, and stir occasionally until the mixture is fully melted. Take the bowl of the heat and add the eggs and sugars and beat until the mixture is smooth. Sieve over the flour mixture and gently fold together.

Divide the mixture equally in half and spread out the first half into the prepared tin. Using the squeeze bottle pour the caramel over the batter leaving a 1 1/2 cm border around the outside. You now need to spread the remaining batter over the caramel and this bit can be a little tricky. You can gently drape it over the caramel but it can be hard to get an even layer so my preferred method is to use a piping bag using a wide flat piping tip(with the flat side facing up).

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 until the a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, you dont want raw batter. Allow to cool completely before using a sharp knife to cut into squares.

Lemon Macarons

Today, I opened my blogsite after a long time. My heart did a flutter but my fingers froze...musing, do I have to? Mulling over, can I still do it? I don't think I can still write. I'm rusty. Real life has taken over. My writing skills wasn't made out of genetics I think. Unlike some people I know. I wasn't borne with great writing skills. Mine was nurtured over time and out of a requirement from studying - tons of reports and analyses, a thesis or two; Borne of writing emails, investigation reports and transcripts at work. And from reading - encircling those proses, phrases and words, remembering them and savouring their meaning. 

Reading has always been one of the things I love to do. I still do. Words and Proses especially those beautifully crafted almost always move me. I usually cant wait to finish reading beautiful words. I remember them. And like honey touching my lips, words are sweet. I love "flowery" words. To me, they have colours and beauty. They are alive. I used to memorise all the adjectives in Thesaurus too. 

While my writing skills isn't natural, my cooking and baking skills are. And I would like to think so, if you may. My legendary Mommy passed on to us, her kids, her natural skill in the kitchen. 

Since my words and phrases are filled with ineptness, let these photos do the talking. Let them move you as words do me. You can have the cake and eat it too.... Life is too short.

Lemon Macarons – Pierre Herme “Macaron”

300g ground almonds

300g icing sugar

110g egg whites “liquefied”

1/2g yellow gold food colouring (or 1 / 4 tsp. Coffee)

10g lemon yellow food coloring 

300g Granulated Sugar

75g of mineral water

110g egg whites “liquefied”

225g fresh whole eggs  

240g granulated sugar

8g Lemon zest

160g fresh lemon juice

350g unsalted butter

100g ground almonds

1. The day before, prepare the lemon cream. Rinse and dry the lemons. Zest the lemons so you have 4g of zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your hands. Mix lemon juice, sugar/lemon and eggs in a bowl. Put it in a bain-marie. Whisk until the mixture is at 83/84C (this took forever and I’m not sure I got all the way!)

2. Leave to cool to 60C before adding the butter in pieces. Whip until the cream is smooth using an immersion blender, mixing for about 10 min. Pour the cream into a baking dish. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the cream and keep it in refrigerator overnight.

3. On the next day, sift the icing sugar with the almond powder. I tend to put this almond/sugar mix in a food processor for a good few pulses because the store bought ground almonds are apparently not as fine as a professional kitchens use and this can effect the way the wet is absorbed by the dry goods. Mix the colourings in the first amount of “liquefied” egg whites. Add this to the icing sugar/almond mix but don’t mix together.

photo taken with my Iphone

4. Boil the water and sugar to 118C. Once the syrup is at 115C, simultaneously, begin to whisk the second amount of “liquefied” white eggs. Pour the 118C sugar syrup onto the whites down the side of the mixer bowl avoiding the whisk. Continue to whisk and let cool to 50C before adding them to the sugar-almond mix.

5. With a rubber spatula, fold it into the icing sugar almond powder whilst turning the bowl through a quarter turn on each fold. When the dough just begins to shine, it is ready. The batter will resemble a cake mixture being a bit runny. Online this stage is often described as looking like magma, which I take to mean the batter should form a ribbon that keeps its shape for around 10 seconds.

6. Pour it into a pastry bag fitted with a No. 11 plain tip. Pipe the mixture into circles about 3.5cm in diameter, spacing them every 2cm on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Tap the baking sheets on a work surface covered with a kitchen towel to let any air bubbles rise out. Let the shells crust for at least 30 min – they should go from shiny to a slightly duller look that wont stick to your finger if you lightly touch one. This rest is to help to develop the proper “feet”.

7. Preheat oven to 180C. Put the baking sheets into the oven. Bake for 12 minutes quickly opening the oven door twice during baking first at 8 minutes the at 10. Out the oven, slide the parchment and shells on the work surface. For me this has always been too high a temperature I cook at around 160C and for a little less time but it all depends on your oven but you don’t want them to brown so bear this in mind.

8. Mix the lemon cream with almond powder. Pour it into a pastry bag fitted with a plain no.11 tip and pipe generous amounts onto half the shells and top with a second shell. Store in the refrigerator overnight to obtain the perfect texture.

Photo taken with my Iphone

Steamed Mussels with Lemon Grass, Basil and Wine

After a year, here I am again. Argh! I have neglected my blog by a mile. My last entry was moons ago.  I don't know if its right to promise to be more diligent this time. Yet again. I don't want to make promises I can't keep. I don't even know if I could still write. I will try my best  - is all I can do. Not because I have ceased cooking and baking. Im telling you now, I have taken thousands of photos of my creations. I have been cooking and baking up a storm. I need to get my life back again. Cooking/baking is my life. Working full time is a sideline. Hehehe.

Please wait for me, guys, With vengeance, I will be back.

For the meantime, I shall leave you with this...

Before

After...gone in 10 minutes!

Preparation time time: 30 minutes

Total cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves 4-6

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) mussels

1 tablespoon oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stems lemon grass (white part only), chopped

1-2 teaspoons chopped red chillies

250 ml (1 cup) white wine or water

1 tablespoon fish sauce

60g (1 cup) fresh thai basil leaves, roughly chopped 

Before

After

1. Scrub the outside of the mussels with a brush. Remove and discard the beards. Soak the mussels in a bow of cold water for 10 minutes, drain and discard any open shells.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or large pan. Add the onion, garlic, lemon grass and chillies, and cook for 4 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and fish sauce to the work and cook for 3 minutes.

3. Add the mussels to the work and toss well. Cover the wok; increase the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes or until mussels open. Discard any unopened mussels. Add the chopped basil and toll well. Serve with steamed rice

Cinnamon Buns, my love

                   

Oh yes, Im so back!  Of course, I haven't forgotten my own blog.  I didn't forget my love for cooking and baking either. But my life has been so eventful that I was out of my element these past few months. The events had overtaken the mundane. The last post that I was able to publish was in November last year; December was so all over the place as my darling little boy and I spent Christmas with my family in the Philippines. Just when I was  about to go back to blogging, a very unfortunate mishap happened to me at work: I shattered my elbow in February this year. Without  having to go into full details, after two 3-inch pins inserted then after two (2) months removed from my elbow,  two surgeries, some wires and a song, I reckon I am on my road to recovery. I would probably need another two (2) months to get my tip-top form back, but Im okay with that. There are days in those dreadful months that my confidence dipped the lowest trough, there are days that I endeavour with my physio/rehab exercises like there are no tomorrows. It could have been worse. I always view the glass half full. But my life is seemingly in peaks and troughs these days. What really broke my heart even more, like stabbing some more my already bleeding heart, is that I couldn't bake nor cook. What a way to rub it in huh! I have reached the bowels of the earth. 

But today is different. Writing this post seems cathartic for my creative juices to overflow. Im in the move and prowling like a tigress in the wildernes. Hehehe. My darling little boy thinks that Im restless once again. He sensed that my artistic side needs to be satiated. And so in the coming months, his wallet will be in dire strait as I will expend this combustion of inner love for art and being creative. And thus spending loads of caching-caching to be able to do that. And of course, I will bake and bake and cook and cook to make up for the lost time. He said Im back to my full form and old self once again. I say, a new lease in life maybe. Give it another month or two to get my old form back but Im back alright and indeed.

source: adapted from Peter Reinhart, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice

Makes 8-12 large or 12-16 smaller buns

6 1/2 tablespoons (3.25 ounces) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 1/2 tablespoons (2.75 ounces) shortening or unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon lemon extract or zest

3 1/2 cups (16 ounces) unbleached bread or all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons (.22 ounce) instant yeast

1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups (9 to 10 ounces) whole milk or buttermilk, room temperature

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 cup (4 ounces) cinnamon sugar (6 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon)

1 cup raisins

1. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar, salt and shortening on medium-high speed. Whip in the egg and lemon extract until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook, and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes, or until the dough is tacky but not sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to cover it with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap.

2. Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

3. Mist the counter with spray oil, and transfer the dough to the counter. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top of the dough with flour. Roll it into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and 14 inches wide by 12 inches long for larger buns, or 18 inches wide by 9 inches long for smaller buns. Brush melted butter over the dough then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough.  Sprinkle on the raisins and gently press them into the cinnamon-sugar. Roll the dough up into a log, creating a spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 even pieces, each about 1 3/4 inches thick for larger buns; or 12 to 16 pieces each 1 1/4 inch thick for smaller buns.

4. Line 1 or more sheet pans with baking parchment. Place the buns approximately 1/2 inch apart.

5. Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

7. Bake the buns for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

8. Cool the buns in the pan for about 10 minutes, and then glaze the tops. Remove the buns from the pans, and place them on a cooling rack. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving.

Spaghetti con le polpette

Or Spaghetti with meatballs

One of my favourite films of all time is Malèna. I happened to be flicking through the tv channels when a film, which was just showing the title at that time, caught my attention. I cant remember now why I was so drawn to the movie; it could have been the song that they were playing at the time or the cinematography. As soon as the actors started talking...aaaah italiano. The film didnt have any subtitle and to be honest, since they were talking so fast, I couldnt understand a thing or two. I  decided to hang on in a few and before I knew it, I have watched the film from beginning to end.

The film was beautiful, it reaches out to you, it was melancholic and nostalgic despite not I understanding anything. Obviously the movie underpins on the universal theme of L-O-V-E; love for humanity, faithful love of the husband, and love from the little boy to Malèna. Monica Belluci, the beautiful italian actress who played Malèna was at her element. Her luminous beauty sometimes outshone the movie in general. The movie also went back to basic, and didn't really need words to tell a story. But in hindsight, I could have wanted to be able to translate italian to english  when the boy said in italian, from the last scene of the film, "Of all the girls who asked me to remember them, the only one I remembered is the one who did not ask."

When I was reading the wikipedia (click here) about the movie, after I caught it again on telly with subtitles this time, I found out that there was really no raving reviews except for the cinematography and original score (Damn! the song and the cinematography were the reasons that got me after all. Hehehe.) The plot was simple and  revolved around Malèna's beauty and her punishments for being beautiful. How vain huh? Hehehe.

Spaghetti con le polpette or spaghetti with meatballs is quite a simple dish. It is also a beautiful italian dish. And is made out of L-O-V-E. Its beauty exudes exuberance and zest. I never thought that you can actually taste exuberance and zest on any dish but this dish has them and more.

This pasta dish is also my little boy's latest favourite and couldn't stop talking about or gobbling it for that matter, pun intended. If that weren't enough testament of how simple and beautiful this dish then I don't know what is.

This dish is definitely a keeper and I suppose I will be whipping it again tomorrow and again and again for the rest of our lives...

Buon appetito! Salute! :)

 *Snagged from Mama's Italian Cookbook
Serves 6

Ingredients

400 g/14 oz beef mince

1 onion, finely chopped

1 egg

4 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

plain flour, for dusting

5 tbsp virgin olive oil

400 ml/14 fl oz passata

2 tbsp tomato puree

400g/14 oz dried spaghetti

salt and pepper

6 shredded fresh basil leaves and freshly grated parmesan cheese, to garnish

Place the potato in a small saucepan, add cold water to cover and a pinch of salt, and bring to boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until tender, then drain. Either mash throughly with a potato masher or fork or pass through a potato ricer.

Combine the potato, mince, onion, egg and parsley in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread out the flour on a plate. With dampened hands, shape the meat mixture into walnut-sized balls and roll in the flour. Shake off any excess.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, add the meatballs and cook over a medium heat, stirring and turning frequently, for 8-10 minutes, until golden all over. Add the passata and tomato puree and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and thickened. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta, bring back to the boil and cook for 8-10 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite.

Drain well and add to the meatball sauce, tossing well to coat. Transfer to a warmed serving dish, garnish with the basil leaves and grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.