Nonna Anna’s meatballs

Polpette di Nonna Anna

Serves 6-8

My main break from family tradition is to add breadcrumbs. In very traditional recipes for polpette, you will find breadcrumbs or delicious, spongy, slightly stale Pugliese bread soaked in milk. The best part is perhaps the sauce, richly flavoured with pancetta, which can be eaten with pasta as the first course or served with the meatballs as the main dish, along with roasted potatoes and a crisp salad. — 700g minced beef — 300g minced pork — 2 eggs

— 50g Parmesan, grated — 50g dry breadcrumbs — 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to serve — 60ml extra-virgin olive oil — 1 large onion, halved and sliced

— 80g pancetta or rigatino, finely sliced

700g tomato passata — Combine the beef, pork, eggs, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, a teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl. Mix very well – using your hands is best – until you have a firm, well-amalgamated mixture. Shape into balls a little larger than golf balls. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat in a deep casserole pot. Sear the meatballs in batches, for about two minutes on each side, until they are lightly browned. (You don’t need to cook them through, just colour them.) Once the meatballs are browned, remove them and set aside. Reduce the heat to low and gently fry the onion slices and pancetta for about seven minutes, or until the onion is softened and the pancetta melts and begins to crisp slightly.

Return the meatballs to the pot. Add the passata, along with 250ml water. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer over a lowmedium heat.

Cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a rich, thick consistency.

Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley, alongside roasted potatoes and a green salad.