Spicy Spanish Meatballs

Preparation: 15-20 mins, plus about 15 min resting time | Cooking Time: 60-90 mins for best result | Serves: 6 adults

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 500g beef mince
• 200g pork mince
• ¼ cup almond meal, this makes it a gluten free recipe, you can also replace with breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp milk
• ¼ cup chopped coriander
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 egg
• 2½ tsp smoked paprika (plain is ok)
• salt and pepper to season
• olive oil for frying

Tomato Sauce

• 500g tomatoes fresh, deseeded and chopped
• 400g tinned tomatoes, chopped
• 2 medium onions finely chopped
• 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3-4 bay leaves
• ⅓ cup chopped coriander
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika (plain is ok)
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp butter (unsalted)
• 150ml white wine
• 150ml beef stock
• 2 tbsp sriracha sauce (chill power as an alternative)
• salt & pepper

Method

1. To start, we'll make the meatballs.
2. Soak the almond meal (or breadcrumbs) in milk for 5 mins, squeezing out any excess milk.
3. In a large mixing bowl add mince, garlic, egg, paprika, coriander and almond meal, season with salt and pepper and mix until fully combined.
4. Take a portion of the mixture and form into balls, roughly the size of a golf ball, but not too small, placing on a tray, you should get ~20-25 meatballs.  Cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge to rest for at least 15 mins (also see tips).
5. Heat a little oil in a frying pan then, in batches, fry the meatballs, constantly turning, for approximately 4 mins, until they have a nice brownness. Remove and set aside.
6. Now for the tomato sauce - using the same pan, add butter and a touch of extra oil, heat, add onion, garlic, paprika, oregano and bay leaves, fry for 3-4 mins until onion starts to soften.
7. Add sriracha and wine and stir for another 2-3 minutes to allow the alcohol to cook off.
8. Add tomatoes, coriander and half the beef stock, stir to combine, set heat to simmer and cook for at least 15-20 minutes, up to an hour, add more stock if required. Taste, and add salt and or pepper as preferred.
9. Add back the meatballs, with heat still on simmer, stirring occasionally for another 30 minutes.  Sauce should reduce and thicken and cook until meatballs have cooked through. Don't be afraid to taste one to ensure 'doneness'.
10. Once ready transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with a little chopped coriander to serve.  These can be eaten on their own, with crusty bread or over rice.

Tips and Alternatives

• If you are wanting to save time in the future, increase the meatball ingredients proportionally, and you can also place additional (excess) meatballs in the freezer, on a tray first, and once frozen place in a ziplock bag and they will keep in the freezer for about a month for later use. Thaw for 30-40 mins before cooking.
• You can make the sauce a day in advance in a separate pan as a stand alone sauce, cook for about the same time as per the recipe. Once you have cooked the sauce place in container and then in the fridge. When you need it, bring out once your meatballs are done, as per above recipe, and heat for about 5-8 mins, then back to the recipe above, if required add a little wine or vegetable stock while the meatballs are cooking.