I am not sure why but the sauce for these always seems to work better than my almost identical attempts for bolognese sauce. Hmm.. I use a medium tray, I suppose of minced beef. Will have to check the packaging but it's about 2lb, I think. This made 23 meatballs last night of which 14 were cooked in the sauce and 9 were frozen for use at a later date.
Ingredients
For the sauce
- splash of olive oil
- teaspoon of fennel seeds
- 1 small to medium onion, chopped
- 1 small carrot, finely chopped or grated
- 3-4 cloves of garlic (the more the merrier, to be honest..but I guess it depends on your taste)
- 1/2 big tin of crushed tomatoes
-1/2 of the tin (or 2 small glasses) of water
- 1tsp sugar
- salt and pepper
For the meatballs
- minced beef, I try to buy medium but it's more often lean (not extra lean)
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- 1 egg
- breadcrumbs - about a cup
- 1 or 2 cloves of crushed garlic
Method
Sauce
1. Heat the oil in a pan on a medium heat with the fennel seeds
2. While this is happening, chop your onion finely
3. Add onion to oil and fennel seeds and cook, stirring occasionally for five minutes...or a bit more even
4. Chop or grate the carrot while onions are cooking and then add to the pot and allow to cook for 3 further minutes
5. Stir in the majority of the crushed garlic cloves (so, if using 4, crush 3 of them into the pot now)
6. Add tomatoes, water, sugar, and salt and pepper and stir.
7. Bring to the boil over the medium heat and simmer of five minutes before blending (careful now!) with a hand blender
8. Allow to simmer away while you make the meatballs, lid off is fine. Stir occasionally. Reduce heat once it has boiled.
Meatballs
1. Empty mince into large bowl.
2. Season with salt and pepper and add crushed garlic
3. Add breadcrumbs and crack the egg into the bowl.
4. Mix and squeeze it all in with your hands
5. Once thoroughly mixed, shape into balls. I make them about the size of a ping pong ballish, I think. To make sure they will hold their shape, a squish in the fist and re-roll doesn't go amiss.
6. Add them to the simmering sauce, one at a time until the pot is at capacity and give a gentle stir.
7. Add the final clove of garlic from the sauce mix now.
8. Simmer for 20 minutes on a gentle heat or until it is dinner time
Serve with buttered spaghetti
