When I was visiting America, a friend cooked Green Chilli with a mix of beef mince and sausage. I loved the flavour and have incorporated them into a light meatball. I serve mine with garlic and herb mash and minted peas.
Meatballs
1 fat slice of good quality white bread, crusts removed
80 ml milk
500 g beef mince
250 g pork sausages, casing removed
1 onion, grated
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp parmesan, grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
pinch nutmeg
Vegetable oil for frying
Parmesan and torn basil leaves to serve
Tomato Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Remove the crusts from the bread, tear into piece, pour over the milk and leave to absorb. Use a fork to mash into a pulp and set aside.
Next make the tomato sauce. Warm a saucepan and then add the olive oil, let it it warm for a minute then add finely diced onion, minced garlic and allow to sweat on a low heat for up to 10 mins. Add the tomatoes by squeezing them through your fingers to break them up as they drop in the pan and cook for a couple of minutes then add sugar, Italian herbs (or oregano), and salt and pepper and simmer over a low heat for 15-20 mins.
The secret to a very light meatball is to not over mix. Put all the meatball ingredients including the soaked white bread and with a very light touch, mix together until all combined being careful to not squeeze the meat. To test seasoning, take a tiny piece and cook. Roll the meat into 12-16 balls approximately 4 cm in diameter.
In a sauté pan large enough to hold all the meatballs, cover the base with 1 cm of vegetable oil. Drop in the balls and brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon, remove the excess oil from the pan, return the browned meatballs, pour over the tomato sauce, cover and leave to simmer over a very low heat for 25 minutes.
Serve with a sprinkle of basil and a grating of parmesan.
Video
Meatballs
- 1 fat slice of bread
- 80 ml milk
- 500 g beef mince
- 250 g pork sausages casing removed
- 1 onion grated
- 3 tbsp parsley finely chopped
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 tsp salt
- pinch nutmeg
- vegetable oil for frying
- Parmesan and torn basil leaves to serve
Tomato Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely diced
- 2 400g tins of plum tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Remove the crusts from the bread, tear into piece, pour over the milk and leave to absorb. Use a fork to mash into a pulp and set aside.
- Next make the tomato sauce. Warm a saucepan and then add the olive oil, let it it warm for a minute then add finely diced onion, minced garlic and allow to sweat on a low heat for up to 10 mins. Add the tomatoes by squeezing them through your fingers to break them up as they drop in the pan and cook for a couple of minutes then add sugar, Italian herbs (or oregano), and salt and pepper and simmer over a low heat for 15-20 mins.
- The secret to a very light meatball is to not over mix. Put all the meatball ingredients including the soaked white bread and with a very light touch, mix together until all combined being careful to not squeeze the meat. To test seasoning, take a tiny piece and cook. Roll the meat into 12-16 balls approximately 4 cm in diameter.
- In a sauté pan large enough to hold all the meatballs, cover the base with 1 cm of vegetable oil. Drop in the balls and brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon, remove the excess oil from the pan, return the browned meatballs, pour over the tomato sauce, cover and leave to simmer over a very low heat for 25 minutes.
- Serve with a sprinkle of basil and a grating of parmesan.
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