Elly Pear’s Let’s Eat: Simple, Delicious Food for Everyone, Every Day

1 heaped tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

½ tsp hot smoked paprika

1 lemon, zested

1 onion (approx. 100g), peeled and finely diced

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed or finely grated

75g fresh breadcrumbs

flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the aubergine chunks and 3 tablespoons of water. Season and cook for 10 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, put the chilli flakes, rosemary, parsley, paprika and lemon zest into a food processor.

Tip the cooked aubergine into the food processor and wipe out the pan with kitchen paper. Return to a low heat. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil, add the onion and the garlic and fry for 5–7 minutes. Tip into the food processor and blitz everything into a rough purée. Add the breadcrumbs and blitz again. Chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Line a baking tray with foil and lightly grease. Wet your hands and roll the mixture into 22 ping-pong-sized balls. Now, lay them on the lined tray, cover them with cling film and leave in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to cook. The following recipes require the balls to be uncooked but you can cook them straight away and eat as you like. Simply preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 and bake the tray of meatballs in the hot oven for 30–35 minutes.

To freeze

Lay the balls on a tray, cover with cling film and place in the freezer until frozen. You can then tip them into a freezer bag. Label with the recipe name and the date made, then place in the freezer and use within 3 months. Defrost in the fridge; overnight is fine, or take them out in the morning and they’ll be defrosted once you’re ready to make dinner.

To chill

If you don’t want to freeze them, the balls are fine, uncooked, for 3 days in the fridge. Keep them covered, then, when ready to eat them, bake as above.

Mean feat no-meat meatballs

In a wrap with hummous, soft herbs, toasted pine nuts and yoghurt (#litres_trial_promo)

I’ve not included exact quantities for the toppings because it’s really up to you. Use all or some of these, pile up as much as you like and make your own Wrap of Dreams. Cooling yoghurt and some sort of hot sauce are pretty essential in my opinion and I love to use loads of herbs, almost as a salad rather than a garnish. Swap hummous for aïoli (#ulink_518801fd-7f87-5348-8ef6-b305ffa030b0) if you’ve made some and, if you’re really hungry, add a couple of slices of seared halloumi to make this even better!

Serves 1

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olive oil, for greasing

3 uncooked Mean Feat No-meat Meatballs (#ulink_0d9f0302-cef4-53dc-8f11-bf867db3feec)

1 tsp pine nuts

1 large flatbread, wrap or pitta bread

a dollop of hummous

a couple of leaves of little gem lettuce, shredded

a dollop of natural yoghurt

1 tbsp chopped mint, coriander and flat-leaf parsley leaves

pomegranate molasses and/or chilli sauce, for drizzling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Line a baking tray with foil and grease with the olive oil. Stick the meatballs on the tray and cook in the hot oven for 30–35 minutes.

When the balls are nearly done, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes until golden brown, shaking the pan often. Tip into a bowl and return the pan to the heat. Warm the flatbread, wrap or pitta through in the pan on both sides. Smear the hummous over the middle of the flatbread or wrap (if using a pitta, carefully slice open and spread the hummous inside). Pile the shredded lettuce onto the flatbread or wrap, or stuff into the pitta. Remove the balls from the oven and sit on top of the lettuce. Add the yoghurt, top with the chopped herbs and toasted pine nuts, drizzle with a little pomegranate molasses or chilli sauce (if using), then roll up and shove in your face.

Mean feat no-meat meatballs

With tomato-butter sauce and pasta (#litres_trial_promo)

I found a pasta shape called ‘fusilli lunghi bucati’ when I first made this dish and it’s the most ridiculous thing: very thin, tightly curled tubes, about 60cm long. If you can find it, I highly recommend it for a bit of fun, but I think linguine or spaghetti would be my next choice.

The sauce is based on the famous Marcella Hazan recipe for tomato sauce. Whereas Hazan discards the onion half before serving, I like to keep the onion and blitz the whole lot. Don’t reduce the amount of butter. You’ll thank me.

Serves 2

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1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes

50g salted butter

½ onion, peeled, unchopped

6–10 uncooked Mean Feat No-meat Meatballs (#ulink_0d9f0302-cef4-53dc-8f11-bf867db3feec), depending on how hungry you are

pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettucine … whatever kind you like and as much as you want)

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing

flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

a few fresh basil leaves, to serve

finely chopped rosemary leaves, to serve

Parmesan cheese, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with foil and grease with a little olive oil.

To make the sauce, tip the whole tin of tomatoes into a small saucepan. Add the butter, the onion half (unchopped) and a big pinch of flaked sea salt. Place over a medium heat until it starts to blip, then turn the heat right down. Cook for 45 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally and mashing up the tomato with the back of a spatula.

After the sauce has been cooking for a few minutes, stick the meatballs on the lined tray and bake in the hot oven for 30–35 minutes. While the meatballs are baking in the oven and the sauce is bubbling away, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.