Valentine’s Day menu: Family-style

Main: Lamb meatballs with cheese and dill

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil​
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tsp dried rosemary or oregano
400g tin plum tomatoes
6 pitted black olives, halved
2 tsp wine (any colour) or red wine vinegar
500g pack lamb mince
30g dried breadcrumbs or 1 slice of bread, blitzed to crumbs
200g pack salad cheese, crumbled
1 egg, beaten
300g dried tagliatelle
20g pack fresh dill, finely chopped

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onions for 5-7 mins until softened. Add the garlic and 2 tsp dried herbs and fry for a further 2 mins. Transfer half to a bowl to cool completely.

2. Add the tomatoes to the pan with a tin of water; break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Add the olives and the wine or vinegar, season, then simmer over a low-medium heat for 15 mins until thickened.

3. Meanwhile, add the lamb to the reserved onion along with the remaining dried herbs, the breadcrumbs, 50g cheese and the beaten egg. Shape into 32 even-sized balls. Cover and chill for at least 10 mins to firm up.

4. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs over a medium-high heat for 10 mins, turning often, until golden. Meanwhile, cook the pasta to pack instructions. Drain, reserving a mug of cooking water.<

5. Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce and cook for 6 mins over a low heat or until cooked through.

6. Stir half the dill through the tomato sauce, then stir in the tagliatelle until the pasta is coated in the sauce, adding splashes of cooking water to loosen. Serve topped with the remaining cheese and dill.

Dessert: Chocolate sharing waffles

Serves 2

75g plain flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
100ml milk, plus 1 tbsp
1 egg
2½ tsp vegetable oil
40g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
4 tbsp whipping cream
2 scoops soft-scoop vanilla ice cream
50g raspberries

1. Put the flour, cocoa, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. In a jug, mix the 100ml milk, the egg and 2 tsp of the oil until combined. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry, whisking until smooth. You can make the batter up to 2 hrs before and leave at room temperature, or make up to 4 hrs ahead and chill.

2. Preheat a waffle maker and brush with the remaining oil. Pour in half the batter, close and cook for 3 mins, or longer if necessary. When cooked, repeat with the remaining batter. No waffle maker? Cook half the mixture on a preheated griddle brushed with oil for 2 mins each side over a medium heat, then repeat with the remaining batter.

3. Next, melt the chocolate with the cream over a medium heat, whisking constantly; remove from the heat. Add 1 tbsp milk to bring it together and make it glossy.

4. Halve each waffle and arrange on a large serving plate. Serve with the ice cream and raspberries, the chocolate sauce drizzled over and 2 spoons.

Tip: To make this recipe serve 4, simple double the ingredients!