Written by Chris Sunday, 13 December 2009 00:00

Meatballs are a combination of ground meat and other ingredients that hold the meat together and they are almost universal in the cuisines of the world. They are a form of Kofta found in Greek, Cypriot & Turkish cooking. Usually, egg and breadcrumbs are used to bind the meat together so it doesn't break up during cooking. They can be steamed (e.g. in Chinese recipes), cooked in a soup, fried, or cooked in a sauce.

This particular recipe is inspired by Jamie Oliver who is one of my favorite chefs. This recipe is for Italian style meatballs cooked in a rich tomato sauce.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 500g ground pork meat (mincemeat, can be a mixture of beef,pork and lamb)
• 4 large very ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• bunch of fresh basil
• 350g spaghetti
• 1tbsp salt and freshly milled pepper to taste
• Corn/Vegetable or olive oil for frying.

Preparation

The rosemary leaves should be removed from their stalks and chopped finely.

You can make breadcrumbs by zapping slightly hardend bread in a food processor. I use pitta bread but any type of plain bread will do.

In a very large bowl, add the meat, egg, breadrumbs, rosemary and mustard and start mixing with your hands until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Now start making the meatballs by taking small amounts of meat from the bowl. First lightly compress the meat in the palm of your hand and then roll it on a wooden board until it forms a ball and then place it on a holding tray.

Once you finish the meatballs, start making the sauce. Finely chop the onion and place it in a deep frying pan with olive oil. Cook for several minutes until soft and then add the garlic (garlic cooks faster than onion) and cook for a little more.

Add tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and half of the basil and stir until its starts to boil. Add appropriate seasoning and set on low heat to simmer.

Now fry your meatballs. In a large frying pan add 1/4 cup of olive oil and heat it. Add about 4 or 5 meatballs at a time and cook until brown. Remove this batch, place on kitchen paper, and add another batch to the pan.

When all the meatballs have been fried add them to the sauce and cook for 20 minutes adding additional water if needed.

The spaghetti should be prepared according to the packet instructions. When ready drain and run under cold water for a few seconds.

Serve by placing the pasta on a plate or bowl add the meatballs with sauce and the remaining basil as garnish.