Entertain at home: Pork and fennel meatballs with tomato sauce
This is a welcome, fresh update from your regular, popular beef meatball recipe. Serve these hearty nuggets with pasta, mashed potato or with crusty bread. Perfectly complemented by a glass of Spier Seaward Shiraz.
Serves 6
You’ll need: For the sauce – 45ml olive oil; 3 cloves garlic, crushed/ grated; 2 cans (800g) whole Italian tomatoes, blitzed to a smooth pulp; 10ml sugar; salt & pepper, to taste.
For the 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; 10ml smoked paprika; 1kg pork mince; salt & pepper, to taste.
How to:
Prepare the sauce: heat the oil in a medium pot and fry the garlic over medium heat until golden. Add the smooth tomatoes, sugar, salt & pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes or until reduced by a third. Set aside.
Prepare the meatballs: in a wide pan, heat the oil and fry the onions, fennel & lemon rind until it is soft and fragrant. Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl, adding the smoked paprika, minced salt & pepper. Mix well.Â
Shape into balls (about 4-5 cm in diameter). Using the same pan as before, add more olive oil and fry the meatballs on all sides over medium heat until just cooked. Serve with the warm tomato sauce, scattered with fennel fronds (and pasta/starch of your choice, optionally).
About the wine, Spier Seaward Shiraz:
 Beautifully layered aromas of mulberry, violets and subtle pepper and anise. The mid-palate is balanced with concentrated fruit flavours and smooth, dense tannins.
Spier Signature wines can be tasted and purchased at the farm in Stellenbosch and are widely available at retail outlets and supermarkets and online at shop.spier.co.za.
* Recipe & image by Spier.
