Passata is sieved tomato puree; to substitute, puree and sieve canned tomatoes or use canned tomato puree which is similar, but slightly thicker.
Pork and veal meatballs with fennel
This simple Italian meal is great for dinner, using only a handful of ingredients to make a delicious and filling dish.
- 4 hrs cooking
- Serves 6
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Ingredients
Pork and veal meatballs with fennel
- 1 kilogram minced (ground) pork and veal
- 1 cup (70g) stale breadcrumbs
- 1 cup (120g) finely grated cheddar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 4 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium_piece brown onions (300g), chopped finely
- 1 medium_piece fennel bulb (300g), trimmed, sliced thinly
- 3 1/2 cup (980g) bottle tomato passata
- 1 cup (250ml) chicken or beef stock
Method
Pork and veal meatballs with fennel
- 1Combine pork and veal, breadcrumbs, cheddar, eggs, parsley and half the garlic in a large bowl; season. Roll rounded tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place on tray, cover; refrigerate 20 minutes.
- 2Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
- 3Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add half the meatballs; cook 5 minutes or until browned all over, shaking pan occasionally. Transfer meatballs to a 3-litre (12-cup) ovenproof dish. Repeat with another tablespoon of oil and remaining meatballs.
- 4Wipe out pan. Heat remaining oil in same pan over high heat; cook onion, fennel and remaining garlic, stirring, 5 minutes or until softened. Stir fennel mixture, passata and stock into meatballs.
- 5Bake, covered, 45 minutes or until fennel is tender. Season to taste.
Notes
Use 500g (1 pound) pork mince and 500g (1 pound) veal or lean beef mince instead, if you like. Fresh breadcrumbs are best made from 2 or 3 day-old bread. Process the bread with crusts into coarse crumbs. This recipe is suitable to freeze at the end of step 4.
