Spaghetti and meatballs from scratch

Combine the beef, pork, ricotta, Parmesan, garlic, panko, salt, pepper, red pepper flake and the egg (checked in a separate bowl first); mix gently so the meatballs stay tender.

Portion with a melon baller, roll quickly and set on a pan: 35 meatballs.

Heat a couple of glugs of olive oil in a pan over medium high; fry the meatballs three or four minutes, turning, to colour the tops and bottoms without cooking them through.

Put about a tablespoon of the meatball grease in a pot; soften half a diced yellow onion three or four minutes, then garlic about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add the tomato paste and cook it briefly, then the can of whole peeled tomatoes with some liquid, squeezing each tomato by hand to break it up.

Season with balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes, about a tablespoon of sugar, a little dried oregano and a pinch of BFF; simmer 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the meatballs, coat with sauce and simmer another 20 minutes or so.

Mound the flour with a deep well; add three eggs (checked in a container first), salt and olive oil.

With a fork, break the yolks and slowly draw in flour from the walls until no liquid egg remains.

Bring it together with a bench scraper, then knead by hand, pulling toward you and pushing away with the palm, about 10 minutes, with a little flour if sticky, until smooth and springing back when pressed.

Wrap in saran and rest half an hour to an hour.

Work a quarter of the dough at a time, keeping the rest wrapped; flour and stretch it, run it through the roller twice on setting one, fold into a rectangular package and run again, then work up to setting seven, two passes each on the first settings and one from four up.

Cut the sheets roughly in half, run through the spaghetti cutter and toss with a little flour.

Rewarm the sauce and meatballs in a pan over medium high.

Boil the spaghetti in heavily salted water about a minute and a half.

Move the pasta straight into the sauce with a little pasta water; finish with fresh Parmesan.