I want yummy meatballs
Loved by kids and adults, meatballs make great grazing food for a crowd, and are super-versatile.
Who doesn’t love a good meatball? There are so many flavour variations to choose from; for example, these two choices are so different – pork balls with fresh fennel fronds and toasted fennel seeds, nestled in rich tomato sauce and topped with melty mozzarella, and baby beef balls flavoured with ginger, chilli five spice, garlic and sesame.
I love that you can make them big or small to serve with drinks or as a main meal, and you can easily change the flavour profiles to suit your palate.
For instance, the beef balls would be equally good spiced with cumin, coriander, chilli and smoked paprika, while the pork balls could take on the spicy flavours of the beef balls!
Pork & fennel meatballs baked in tomato sauce
Preparation: 40 minutes Cooking: 51 minutes Serves: 4
3 slices white toast bread, crusts removed, roughly torn cup milk FOOD
2 teaspoons lightly toasted fennel seeds Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon chilli flakes 3 tablespoons finely chopped fennel fronds (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper 800g pork mince Olive oil spray 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and thickly sliced 2 tablespoons olive oil
cup white wine light olive oil for spraying
700g passata (sieved crushed tomatoes) 2 teaspoons caster sugar 125g buffalo mozzarella, drained
Put the bread in a shallow bowl with the milk and leave to sit for 10 minutes.
Put the fennel seeds, lemon zest, chilli flakes and fennel fronds in a food processor. Add the soaked bread, season well with salt and pepper, and whiz to combine. Add the pork and pulse to distribute the seasoning evenly, then tip out into a bowl.
Roll the mixture into 16 even balls, and place them on a bakingpaper lined tray. Chill for an hour. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Heat the oil in a medium frying pan and cook the sliced fennel for 8 minutes, add the wine, season well with salt and pepper and cook for a further 8 minutes or until just soft. Spray the meatballs very lightly with oil and bake for 15 minutes.
While they are cooking heat the passata in the microwave or in a pot on the stove top until just hot. Put the fennel in a 26cm baking dish and top with passata. Nestle the pork balls into the passata and dot with torn mozzarella. Bake a further 20 minutes until the mozzarella is melted. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with reserved fennel fronds to serve.
Spicy beef balls
Preparation: 30 minutes Cooking: 15-20 minutes Makes: 32
3 slices white toast bread, crusts removed, roughly torn cup milk 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger 2 teaspoons caster sugar 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoons chilli flakes 1 teaspoon five spice 2 teaspoons sesame oil 800g beef mince Olive oil spray To serve:
Satay, hoisin or Japanese barbecue sauce, black sesame seeds and finely sliced spring onions
Put the bread in a shallow bowl with the milk and leave to sit for 10 minutes. Put the ginger, sugar, garlic, soy sauce, chilli flakes, five spice and sesame oil in a food processor. Add the soaked bread, season well with salt and pepper and whiz to combine. Add the beef and pulse to distribute the seasoning then tip out into a bowl. Roll the mixture into 32 even balls, and place them on a baking-paper lined tray. Chill for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 200C. Spray the meatballs very lightly with oil and bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. Serve the meatballs with dipping sauce and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds and spring onions.
Recipes, food styling and photography by Sarah Tuck