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Adding mushrooms to the pork mince gives these meatballs umami flavour and makes them lovely and soft.
Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, Grated
- ½ Tsp Chilli Flakes
- 600ml Passata
FOR THE MEATBALLS
- 1 Onion
- 1 Clove of Garlic
- ½ tsp Fennel Seeds
- Handful of Fresh Parsley
- 50g Parmesan
- 150g Chestnut Mushrooms
- 300g Pork Mince
- 60g Fresh Breadcrumbs
- 1 Egg
- ½ Tsp Fennel Seeds
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Pepper
- 150g Mozzarella
- 30g Parmesan
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive Oil
Method
- Make your sauce. Heat a little olive oil in a medium sized saucepan, then add your grated garlic and chilli flakes. Cook over a medium heat for 1 minute until fragrant, then add your passata. Bring to a boil, then pop a lid on and simmer over a medium heat for 30 mins. Season to taste, then set aside.
- Whilst the sauce simmers, make your meatball mixture. Grate your onion and crush your garlic.
- Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and add your onions. Sauté over a medium heat for a few minutes until softened, then add your garlic and fennel seeds and cook out for another two minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Grate your parmesan and chop your parsley. Place your mushrooms in the bowl of your food processor and pulse until they are finely minced.
- Tip your mushrooms into a large bowl along with your pork mince, breadcrumbs, onion and garlic mixture, parsley, parmesan, egg, salt and pepper. Combine with your hands until you have a smooth mixture.
- Roll into 12 equally sized balls, then heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Add your meatballs and brown on all sides until lovely and caramelised – this will take about 5 mins. They don’t need to be totally cooked through at this point.
- Arrange your meatballs in a dish and pour your tomato sauce over the top. Sprinkle with your mozzarella and parmesan, then bake for 15 mins at 200°C.
- Remove from the oven, serve with crusty bread and enjoy!