Braised Meatballs with peppers and tomatoes

Meatballs are a truly economical way of eating meat, but many people are sadly, put off by the amount of work they think needs to go into them. But the reality is that meatballs are easy – If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty.

I like to make them by hand, and they are really easy. I like to mix pork sausage and ground beef, but if you prefer, you can use Italian sausage and ground pork or veal or mix it up however you like. For this recipe I will recommend ground beef and pork sausage because it gives the most authentic flavors. Use a good quality sausage because we are going to add breadcrumbs so we don’t want a sausage that has already been diluted.

You will need:

Equipment:

• A large frying pan or skillet
• A large mixing bowl
• A casserole dish
• A sharp knife
• A cutting board

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

• 1lb ground sirloin
• ½lb good quality pork sausage meat
• ½ green pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• A handful fresh parsley, chopped
• ½ cup breadcrumbs (see making breadcrumbs)
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1 table spoon Heinz tomato ketchup (I know, I know)
• Flour
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

For the sauce:

• 1 14oz can tomatoes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• ½ green pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried basil

First, make the meatballs: In a large mixing bowl, combine the meatball ingredients all together. It doesn’t matter which order they are added. Mix together with your hands and take small pieces of the mixture and roll by hand into balls. Coat with flour and salt and pepper and set aside. In the frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the meatballs in batches. When they are browned, place them on the bottom of a large casserole dish.

While you are cooking the meatballs, preheat the oven to 375F. now add the onion and green pepper for the sauce to the fyiny pan and cook gently until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and transfer the casserole dish to the oven with a lid on. Cook for 45 minute covered, then another 15 minutes uncovered. Serve over spaghetti and sprinkle with fresh, grated Parmesan cheese and some fresh parsley. For this dish, I prefer fresh egg pasta rather than dried, but almost any will work. I also like to serve this with hot fresh French bread, a green salad on the side and a Chianti Classico red wine.

Buon Apetito!