Food for Friends
Meatballs.
Serves 4 - 6
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Ella's meatballs perfect after a spot of playing in the sand pit with Jake (made not with real frog) - July 2012.
Ingredients: 450 grams best quality lean mince beef, 225 grams good pork sausagemeat or mince, 2 slices of bread, Half green pepper (de-seeded and finely chopped), 1 egg (beaten), 1 medium onion (very finely chopped), 1 large clove of garlic (crushed), 1 dessertspoon fresh or three-quarter teaspoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped), 1 dessertspoon tomato puree, salt and frshly milled balck pepper, flour (for coating the meatballs), olive oil (for frying the meatballs)
For the sauce: 1 small onion (chopped), Half green pepper (de-seeded and finely chopped) 400 gram tin of Italian tomatoes or 450 grams ripe tomatoes (peeled and chopped) 1 clove of garlic crushed, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil.
1. Begin by making the meatballs. Cut the crush off the bread and mash in to crumbs with a fork; then, in a large mixing bowl, mix it together very thoroughly with the rest of the meatball ingredients using your hands.
2. Now take the pieces of the mixture, about a tablespoon at a time, and roll each into a small round ball. You should get about 16 to 18 altogether. Coat each one ligthly with flour, then brown them in the oil in a large frying-pan. Meanwhile preheat the oven to gas mark 5/190C.
3. When the meatballs are browned transfer them to a casserole and, in the juices remaining in the frying pan, prepare the suace by softening the onion and green pepper for 5 minutes before adding the tomatoes, garlic and basil, then simmer for a couple of minutes. Taste and season, then pour the sauce over the meatballs in the casserole and cook, witha lid on, in the oven for 45 minutes. After that take off the lid and cook for a further 15 - 20 minutes.
Serve on a bed of fresh spagetti.
(Taken from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course)