Can I Use An Alternative To Red Vermouth In The Meatballs With Orzo?

Our answer

Nigella's Meatballs With Orzo (from AT MY TABLE) is a one-pot dish where meatballs are cooked in a tomato sauce and orzo pasta is added to the pot towards the end of the cooking time. The orzo cooks through and absorbs some of the flavours from the sauce.

Red vermouth is a fortified wine that has been infused with aromatic herbs. It lasts for quite a while once opened and is a great storecupboard standby. It is added to the sauce to give extra depth of flavour. However, if you want to avoid alcohol then we would suggest omitting the vermouth and adding a tablespoon of tomato purée (tomato paste) plus 3 extra tablespoons of water instead. If you don't need to avoid alcohol then you could use regular red wine as an alternative.