Giant cheese-stuffed Mexican meatballs
1 HOUR 20 MINUTES SERVES 8 | EASY | GF
beef mince 1kg ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp mozzarella block 200g, grated, plus extra to sprinkle over mature cheddar 200g, grated, plus extra to sprinkle over dried ancho chillies 2 olive oil 2 tbsp onions 2, finely chopped garlic 4 cloves, finely chopped chipotle paste 1 tbsp peeled plum tomatoes 2 x 400g tins dark chocolate 50g, grated cooked rice to serve CORIANDER SALSA coriander a large bunch, finely chopped limes 3, juiced red onion Ω, finely chopped green chillies 2, deseeded and finely chopped
• Tip the beef into a bowl with the cinnamon and cumin, season generously, then combine well. Divide into 8 balls.
• Combine the grated cheeses in a bowl and squeeze together to make 8 balls. Squash one of the beef balls into a flat circle and put a ball of cheese in the middle. Gather up the sides to enclose the cheese and use your hands to mould it over and into a ball. Repeat with the remaining meat and cheese, then chill the meatballs.
• Put the ancho chillies into a small bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes. Drain, discard the seeds and stalks, roughly chop and put into a blender or food processor.
• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onions and a pinch of salt for 10 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Tip into the food processor with the ancho chillies and add the chipotle, tomatoes, chocolate and lots of seasoning, and whizz until completely smooth.
• Pour the mixture into a large, deep baking tray then nestle the meatballs into the sauce, ensuring there is a little space around each. Sprinkle a little more of the cheeses over the meatballs then bake for 45 minutes until the meatballs have browned and the sauce has thickened.
• Put all of the salsa ingredients in a bowl, season well and mix. Serve the meatballs with rice, if you like, and the coriander salsa to spoon over.
PER SERVING 452 KCALS | FAT 30.9G SATURATES 13.9G | CARBS 10.1G | SUGARS 8.7G FIBRE 3.1G | PROTEIN 31.8G | SALT 0.6G