Polpettone
SERVES 4 | 15 MINS PREP | 25 MINS COOK TIME
INGREDIENTS
500g beef mince
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 3 Tbsp full cream milk
- 1½ tsp worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup fresh mixed herbs, chopped (finely chopped parsley, thyme, oregano, sage)
Tomato sauce
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 400g can chopped tomatoes in juice
- 1½ - 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 bay leaf
To serve
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup parsley, roughly chopped
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Lightly oil a deep baking dish or skillet (one that will fit 8 meatballs comfortably in a single layer).
Mix all meatball ingredients together well, then shape into 8 meatballs and place in prepared baking dish.
To make sauce, place a dash of oil in a heavy based saucepan, over a low heat, and add the onion and garlic.
Cook until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, sugar, bay leaf and season well.
Simmer for 10 minutes to allow all the flavours to mingle and the liquid to reduce a little.
Remove from the heat and cool for about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, then process in a food processor until you have a smooth sauce.
Pour sauce over the meatballs and cook in oven for 25 minutes turning meatballs once after 15 minutes.
Serve hot, sprinkled with the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
Recipe and image thanks to recipes.co.nz
