Angela Hartnett’s Meatballs with tomato sauce
“The secret to good meatballs is not to bind the ingredients with egg, but to use milk-soaked bread instead “
Angela Hartnett
SERVES: 4
DIFFICULTY: Easy
Ingredients
200g of White Bread (stale if possible)
Milk (enough to soak the bread)
500g of Minced Beef
250g of Minced English Veal
2tbsp of Flat-leaf Parsley, chopped
1 medium Onion, chopped finely
2 Cloves of Garlic, chopped
2tbsp of grated Parmesan
4 Anchovies, chopped finely
400g tin of Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Method
STEP 1
Before making the meatballs, make the tomato sauce. In a saucepan, heat a dash of olive oil, then add half the chopped onions and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, reduce to a simmer and leave to cook while making the meatballs (for a maximum of 10 minutes, until you have a thick sauce).
STEP 2
Preheat oven to 180˚c/gas mark 4. In a bowl, soak the bread with the milk until soft. In another bowl, mix the meat, parmesan, anchovies, half the parsley and the rest of the onions and garlic. Then add the bread mix lightly squeezing any excess milk from it first. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Mould into 12-14 balls. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, and when hot, add the meatballs, turning as they colour; this should take about 5 minutes. If necessary, cook in batches so they are not all squashed together.
STEP 3
Then preferably in the same pan, flash them in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes – stick a knife in to check that they are hot in the centre.
STEP 4
To serve, spoon the tomato sauce into a large bowl, place the meatballs on top and finish with a sprinkling of parsley.