Smokey Baked Chicken Meatballs

I love a good meatball but they need to be well seasoned with a light texture. The sweet/sour topping adds the finishing touch.

MEATBALLS

½ cup milk

1 large egg, size

7 ½ cup panko breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon each ground cinnamon and cumin

¼ teaspoon chilli flakes

finely grated zest

½ an orange and

1 lemon

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

600 grams good quality chicken and herb sausages

Sea salt and pepper

TOPPING

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

TO SERVE

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced lemon wedges

Parmesan, for grating

Tomato and Leek Sauce, see recipe below

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Whisk the milk and egg together in a large bowl then stir in all the remaining ingredients, except the chicken sausages, and leave for 5 minutes to soften the crumbs.

Squeeze the sausages out of their skins and add to the bowl. Season and mix until well combined. TOPPING: Combine everything in a bowl and set aside.

Using a tablespoon, roughly scoop the chicken mixture into 16 meatballs, leaving them roughly shaped. Place on a lined baking tray and dab over the topping using a pastry brush.

Bake for 20 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked through and golden on top.

TO SERVE: Place the meatballs in a serving dish with the red onion and lemon wedges then top with a generous grating of Parmesan. Serve the tomato sauce separately. SERVES 4