Meatballs. I cannot say it without giggling. Yes, yes, I know. But come on!! Anyway, I had a heap of mince to use up and seeing I’d never made meatballs (hee hee) before, I thought this was the perfect opportunity. This recipe comes from the gorgeous book Urban Cook by Mark Jensen and is about cooking and eating for a sustainable future, which is of utmost importance.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 500g onions, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1kg beef mince
- 1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 egg
- olive oil, for frying
Method
- Place a large deep-sided frying pan over mediu heat. Add the olive oil, the onion and garlic to the pan and cook gently, stirring occasionally until the onions are nicely caramelised. Pour into a large bowl and cool completely.
- Add the beef, herbs, apices, salt and egg to the bowl and mix well to combine. Lightly wet your hands with water and roll the mince mixture into balls. I chose to shape them into ping pong balls, as I felt this was a nice size and easy to cook.
- Pan-fry the meatballs in batches in a large frying pan for about 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through, turning occasionally.
I served them with a tomato sauce (see recipe below) and spaghetti. They are very tasty and the spices give them an edge you wouldn’t expect from a traditional spaghetti and meatball style meatball. This is a perfect thing to pack for lunch on a busy day as it is really filling and transports easily.
Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 800ml of crushed tomatoes
- sugar (to sweeten if desired)
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the onions for 5 minutes until soft and translucent, then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir through the tomato, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and set aside until needed.
