Turkey meatballs in tomato sauce from Table Mann

Serves: 4-6

These turkey meatballs, says Jessie, “are light as a feather and seem to invite a confession – like when my dear friend, the singer/ songwriter Sam Smith, explained he thought Mexico was in Spain, while we fed these beauties to them.”

You’ll need

50g fresh white

● breadcrumbs

75ml whole milk

● 500g minced turkey

● thighs

2 garlic cloves, crushed or

● finely grated

Finely grated zest of 1

● lemon

1 egg, beaten

●

40g pecorino or Parmesan

● cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve

2 tspn finely chopped

● fresh oregano, or 1 tspn dried oregano

About ¼ nutmeg, freshly

● grated

1 tspn fine salt

● freshly ground black

● pepper

For the tomato sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil

●

1 small onion, finely diced

● 2 garlic cloves, crushed

● 1 tbsp tomato purée

●

1 tspn paprika (mild or

● hot)

2 × 400g tins chopped

● tomatoes

1 handful of basil leaves

● ½–1 tspn caster sugar

● Salt and pepper

●

Method

1. Make the tomato sauce. Heat oil in a large pan or over medium heat. Add onion and a good pinch of salt and gently fry for five to 10 mins until soft. Add garlic and fry for two mins, stir in the tomato purée and paprika and cook for another two mins.

2. Tip in tomatoes and chopped basil, gently simmer for 20 mins. Season with salt, pepper and a little sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes if needed.

3. Make the meatballs. Place breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl, and pour over the milk. Add turkey, garlic, lemon zest, egg, cheese, oregano, nutmeg, salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Using your hands, gently combine, taking care not to overmix. With wet hands, shape the mix into 20 meatballs (about the size of golf balls).

4. Gently drop the meatballs into the simmering sauce, cover with lid and simmer for 20 mins, turning them after about 10 mins and giving the pan a shake from time to time.

5. Remove the lid and simmer for another five mins. Serve the meatballs with the basil leaves and a grating of pecorino or Parmesan.

Table Manners: The Cookbook by Jessie and Lennie Ware, photography by Ola O. Smit, is published by Ebury Press, priced £22. Available now.