My version of Classic Italian meatballs in tomato sauce

Now for a good meatball you need a mix of tow kinds of meat, beef, lamb, pork or veal all are good.  My favour is both pork and beef you just get a better nicer meatball at the then but the choice is up to you.  As for the rest of this recipe, it is entirely what you put in it the basics are here, but you can add or take stuff away as you see fit. The real good thing about any dish like this is that you can make it incredibly difficult with loads of ingredients , or just use the basics . Then only thing that I would really insist on is that you use fresh herbs and season the meatballs well.

For your meatballs you will need,

500g/1lb 2oz pork mince

500g/1lb 2oz beef mince

100g/3½oz bread crumbs

6 sprigs thyme

6 sage leaves

6 sprigs of rosemary

Small bunch parsley leaves

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1egg

100g/3½oz parmesan cheese

A dash of oil, for frying

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

First het your herbs and chop them to a fine chop.  You do not want any hard twiggy bits from either the rosemary or thyme so just use the green leaves. Crush your garlic, add that to the herbs in a bowl, and then add some salt and pepper. Give every thing a good crush round so all the oils and flavours from the herbs and the garlic start to work together.  Now add the meat and the bread crumbs one egg and the cheese. Now the only thing you can do is get your hands in and work this all together so you get a mix that can form the meatballs.

Now you will have to taste the meatballs to see if you have seasoned them to your likening.  The only thing that you will be saying is how do you do that it’s raw.  Take a small frying pan and just fry of a little of the mix and then taste that.  If you think it needs more add it then.

Now form you meat balls and let them rest in the fridge for a while  letting them firm up. When you are ready to cook them start by frying them in a pan with a little oil just to stop them from sticking. Then finish them by adding the sauce and cook then the way through.

Now while you meat balls are in the fridge you can star by making your sauce , you will need

500ml/ ½pt chicken stock.

5 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion

1 celery stick

1 carrot

1 garlic clove

3 tbsp tomato purée

4 x 400g/14oz tined tomatoes

50ml/2fl oz Marsala wine

50ml/2fl oz white wine

Splash balsamic vinegar

15–20 basil leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Start the sauce by just chopping the vegetables up and adding the stock and the tomatoes and cook until it has reduced by half.  Then put this threw a food processor or a blender to puree the vegetables down. Now you can pass this threw a sieve if you like or not it is up to you and how well your blender works.

Put this tomato sauce base in with the meat balls and add the wine, Marsala, balsamic vinegar and season .Let it cook a little and reduce a little more  then add the basic just ripped or ruff chopped in to the sauce just before you sever it on to a bed of freshly cooked pasta .

Grate on some parmesan and sit back and enjoy .