Before I met the lovely Sofie from Sweden, meatballs for me were always associated with Italy. Combined with a thick tomato sauce and soft melt in the mouth pasta, they make a dish which is a staple of the classic Italian mama's recipe repertoire. If I was to name one recipe that is ideal for food therapy its this, there is something strangely yet extremely relaxing about rolling the meat into satisfying little balls and plopping them into boiling hot creamy tomato sauce. Relying solely on the heat of the sauce to cook and infuse the little balls to perfection.
The recipe itself is pretty fool proof, and will give you results making you feel like the perfect Italian mama or papa!
Mood Food Meat Balls
- 500g of Minced Meat (Pork or Beef)
- 2 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 2 tsp of Dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsp of Tomato Ketchup
- 1 tbsp of Oregano
- Good pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 Garlic clove chopped finely
- 1 Onion chopped finely
- 2 tins of chopped tomato's
- 1 tsp of Tabasco sauce
- 1 tsp of dried oregano
- 1/2 cup of red wine (optional you can use water but the wine gives a richer flavour when the sauce reduces)
- 1/4 cup of milk
- Good pinch of salt and pepper
Now for the tomato sauce, it's a fairly standard affair, heat a large saucepan and add a drop of olive oil, fry the garlic for a minute and then add the onion. Fry the two till golden and soft and then add the tinned tomato's. Bring the mixture to the boil and then stir in the Tabasco sauce, dried oregano, and red wine. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced.
Add the meatballs to the sauce pan, making sure they are covered by the sauce, I know your thinking raw meat in my sauce surely I'll be poisoned! But no believe me it works and keeps the meat lovely and tender. Bring the sauce pan back to the boil and simmer for another 15 mins.
Serve with some good quality tagliatelle and there'll be clean plates all around!
