As many of you may know, I have a meatball obsession. So when I was in the mood for meatballs just recently, I decided to pull Bill Granger off the shelf to see if he had the goods.
I added more pancetta than required, but no one complained. I would easily make these again.
Get your hands on:
3 tablespoons olive oil1 small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teasponn ground coriander
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
500g (1 lb 2 oz) minced (ground) chicken
3 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs
50g (1 3/4 oz) pancetta, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
Sea salt
500g (1 lb 2 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
Freshly ground black pepper
125ml (4 fl oz / 1/2 cup) chicken stock
Serve it with:
500g (1 lb 2 oz) wholewheat fusilli, cookedParmesan shavings
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F / Gas 6). Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring for 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft. Add the coriander and chilli and cook for 1 minute.
2. Put the chicken in a bowl with the breadcrumbs, pancetta, parsley and salt. Add the spiced onion and mix well with your hands. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm the mixture. Wet your hands with cold water to stop the mixture sticking and roll into small meatballs.
3. Put the cherry tomatoes on a baking tray lined with baking paper, drizzle with 1 tablspoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the meatballs on a second lined tray and drizzle with the remaining oil. Roast the tomatoes and meatballs in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the meatballs are golden and the tomatoes start to pucker.
4. Put the stock and tomatoes in a saucepan and add the the meatballs. Simmer for 5 mintues and season to taste before spooning over pasta and serving with parmesan shavings.
Serves 4.
I can totally vouch for these meatballs! Very tasty. I have done the opposite to you and forgotten to put the pancetta in and it was still good!