Pulse the shallot and 3 cloves garlic in a food processor until they're finely minced. Add them to a large mixing bowl along with the beef, egg, ground oregano and ground basil.

Dip 2 slices of bread in cold water. Squeeze the water out and crumble the wet bread into the meat mixture. Rip the third slice of bread into small pieces and add it too. Add 1 tsp salt and several grinds of black pepper, then knead everything together until well-combined.

Put a large pan on medium-high heat. Use your hands to form balls from the meat mixture, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. You should end up with about 12 meatballs. Add a splash of veg oil to the pan and brown the meatballs evenly. It should take around 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove the meatballs and set them aside. Clean any burned bits and excess oil from the pan, then add a fresh splash of veg oil, the onions and pepper flakes. Fry until the onions soften, about 1or 2 minutes. Cut the remaining 3 cloves of garlic into thin slivers and add them to the pan. Continue frying another 1 minute.

Stir the tomato paste into the pan. Let cook 2 to 3 minutes then add 1 cup water. Add the can of whole tomatoes, juice and all. Crush the tomatoes by hand as you drop them in. Stir in the sugar. Return the meatballs to the pan. Cover and turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer for 5 minutes, remembering to gently turn the meatballs over every so often. Check the seasoning and add extra salt and pepper to taste.

While the sauce continues simmering, cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. When the noodles are almost cooked, add the basil and parsley to the sauce. Toss the noodles with the sauce and top with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese when serving.