It's taken from Bon Appetit magazine, but I've made one slight tweak i.e. to add ground beef to suit the Ah Lau's love for bovine.
I love this recipe: Firstly, the meatballs are baked, not fried. It's marginally healthier, and the lovely juices are nicely retained.
Secondly, the use of pine nuts and currants give the dish both sweetness and crunch. Delish!
Thirdly, it uses sausages so you can go wild with the possibilities. Personally, I like using a mix of Sicilian and Tolouse sausages from Sainsbury's.
First, I get on with the sauce, as it will take about an hour. After heating up the olive oil, I put in 1.5 cups of finely-chopped onions.
After about five minutes of stirring, I add two cloves of minced garlic and stir for a minute.
Then I add the canned tomatos. Canned tomatoes generally pack more flavour than the fresh supermarket version (says the Ah Lau), and it saves you a lot of hassle (says me who does a lot of the washing up). Let the sauce stew for an hour, stirring frequently. And yes, you can sneak a taste or two.
While the sauce's bubbling away, pre-heat the oven and get on with making the meatballs.
After letting the milk-bread crumb mix sit for five minutes, add the pine nuts, basil, parmesan cheese, currants and the meat. I love removing the membrane (yes, that's what I call it) from the sausages and watching the meat slide into the mix. There's something oddly satisfying about it.
Here comes the fun part: Using my clean bare hands, I go into PlayDoh mode.
I shape the meat into balls and spread them evenly on a baking tray. On this occasion, the Ah Lau exclaimed: "I want BIG balls!"
So..... I granted his wish :)
When the sauce is almost done, I add salt and pepper to taste followed by the remaining basil, then I give it all a solid stir for five minutes.
When the meatballs are done, I add them to the sauce. Then the Ah Lau cracks open a big-ass bottle of red, toss up a salad, and we say Salut!
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