Meatballs/Content Warning

 There may be Language in this post. I am a tad stressed. I suspect lots of us are, what with one thing (renewed lockdown) and another (political issues on which I can't comment), and work has also been stressful and I'm very tired and then SOME RANDOM MAN INSULTED MY PARENTS' FRONT GARDEN and it has tipped me right over.

I should possibly mention that their front garden is terrible, and has been for years. So bad that when many years ago The Bill used to film near us they paid £100 for an actor to trim the hedge, as all the others were too neat to have a plausible gardening neighbour witness whatever the crime was. And this random man was a parental figure collecting a very small child who was peering through the hole in the hedge (a new hole, not caused by the actor) who chattily said to his kid, "Ooh, they aren't doing much with their garden, are they?" He's right, and it made me bloody furious. 

He probably hadn't seen me, as I was sanitising my hands on the doorstep, before delivering four days of groceries to my folks, which is basically what I can carry over there. I'd stepped out from work to do this. I am very, very tired, and I do not have time to do my parents' garden as well as everything else. All I said was, "Thanks for that." But it definitely carried to him, with vim, and he apologised rather fast. I've probably traumatised some small person who will think of it as a house  of unfriendly people. 

It's not important. But ugh, it has made me sad. We're not really coping with this year, me and my parents, but I don't think any of us has the oomph to do better. My aunt has just officially cancelled hopes of family Christmas, and we've all sagged with relief. We'll just hide in our various burrows instead.

Then I came home, did a couple of hours fairly unsuccessful work, and logged out to make meatballs. 

Step 1: make the sauce. Then leave it to simmer for 2 hours. 

!!!&$$*%^*%&(%$^Q£$%!!!!

Reader, I did not do that. It's a tomato sauce, with spices, and it's had maybe 90 minutes all told, including the initial prep. Spices: cumin, turmeric, cinnamon. This is from Persiana, of course. It'll be fine, and perhaps nicer warmed up tomorrow too.

Meatballs are lamb mince, same spices, garlic powder and lots of seasoning, onion, eggs, dill and coriander, and chopped sour cherries, which I love but have never previously had with tomatoes. Suspicious. My dill had frozen to the back of the fridge and turned mostly unusable, ugh. But otherwise, all good. 

Frizzle meatballs on either side (as you can see, I paid very close attention and in no way burned the first side of the first lot - the rest are a bit better, because cooking is soothing). Then add them to the sauce and give it another 20-30 minutes, which means this recipe should take 3 hours despite having very little complexity to it. Ugh.

In the end, on half that time, the meatballs are very tasty, and the tomato sauce seems thick and spicy enough. I cooked far, far too much rice oops, and I feel better for having a cosy, wintery dinner, though I'm too stressed to eat it quickly. It's still quite nice company. Wine, too, which is a comfort - perhaps too much of one, but you do what you can in the current circumstances, I think.

I hope you don't reach a tipping point this week. If you do, I recommend meatballs. 

If you need help with motivation for slow cooking things, remember we've a #ConfinedCookalong on Saturday 14th. This time, risotto and such. I'm probably going to start my risotto about 6pm and push on straight into cocktail hour, but let me know if you'd rather I start earlier. I have remarkably little planned, for some reason.