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Twice cooked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Fior Di Latte Mozzarella and Fresh Basil
RECIPE BY CHRISTIE-ANNE WOLMARANS
Basic Tomato Sauce
serves 4
Ingredients:
1/2 Garlic clove, finely chopped
15ml olive oil
1.5ml dry chilly flakes
5ml dried oregano
2 x 410g Italian Plum tomatoes
10g Fresh Basil roughly chopped
15ml Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method:
Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and gently fry off the garlic for a few seconds before adding in the chilli, oregano and tomatoes
Bring slowly up to a gently simmer and allow to cook for at leat one hour to allow the flavors to develop and to sweeten the tomato sauce
Break the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon about half way through cooking to release the pips and make a smoother sauce
Once the sauce is nice and sweet, season to taste and stir in the fresh herbs
Stir through the extra virgin olive oil to enrich the sauce
One can also make 3 different varieties of this sauce to name but a few.
1. For a Puttanesca sauce - add 30ml capers, 2 anchovies finely diced and a 1/4 cup of black stoned olives
2. For an Arrabiata sauce - add freshly chopped red chillies to taste (it should be fiery)
3. For a more meaty sauce - lightly fry some finely diced onion and prosciutto, add some sliced mushrooms and saute till tender and add it to the tomato sauce
Meatballs
serves 4
Ingredients :
500g Minced Beef
1 slice brown bread (use a food processor to make breadcrumbs of the slice of bread)
15ml dried oregano
1.2ml cumin seeds, crushed (I used powdered)
1.2ml dried chilli flakes
7.5ml fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 egg yolk
5ml salt
1 small onion finely diced
1/2 garlic clove
7.5ml olive oil
7.5ml dijon mustard
30ml olive oil
Previously prepared tomato sauce
30g Mozzarella balls, broken into small pieces
30g Parmesan cheese, thickly grated
10g Fresh basil leaves thorn
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
Add the breadcrumbs, oregano, cumin, chilli, rosemary and egg yolk to the minced meat and season with salt
In a small saucepan, heat the oil over a medium heat and saute the onion till soft and fragrant add pinch of salt
Add the garlic in and continue cooking for 30seconds then add the Dijon mustard
Stir well and allow to cool slightly. Add the onion mixture to the mince mixture and mix well
Wet hands shape the mixture into meatballs he size and shape that you would prefer.
Preheat a large frying pan and add the olive oil. Add the meatballs and fry them until they are golden brown all over. Put the meatballs in a ovenproof dish/pan and cover with the tomato sauce. Top with broken mozzarella pieces and Parmesan and bake int he oven for 15-20 min depending on how you would like your meat done, until the cheese is golden brown. Tear the basil up and 5min before the end add the basil on top of the meatballs. Serve with fresh (home made) or bought cooked spaghetti or tagliatelle
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