Recipe: Pork and fennel meatballs in tomato sauce

It’s also wonderfully low carb when served with zoodles instead of pasta. If you really want to amp it up, serve with shiraz wine.

Ingredients

Sauce
45ml olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed/grated
2 cans (800g) whole Italian tomatoes, blitzed to a smooth pulp
2 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Meatballs
30ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 fennel bulb, finely chopped (save some of the fronds for serving)
Rind of a small lemon, finely grated
2 tsp smoked paprika
1kg pork mince
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Prepare the sauce: heat the oil in a medium pot and fry the garlic over medium heat until golden.

2. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

3. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes or until reduced by a third. Set aside.

4. Prepare the meatballs: in a wide pan, heat the oil and fry the onions, fennel and lemon rind until it is soft and fragrant.

5. Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl, adding the smoked paprika, mince salt and pepper. Mix well.

6. Shape into balls (about 4-5cm in diameter).

7. Using the same pan as before, add more olive oil and fry the meatballs on all sides over medium heat until just cooked.

8. Serve with the warm tomato sauce, scattered with fennel fronds (and pasta/starch of your choice, optionally).

Recipe supplied by Spier

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