The frequent readers of this blog are aware of 3 things I ❤; chocolate, ribs and meatballs.
I have been starting to sort through my cookbooks as I meal plan what we are going to eat for the week. I have come across MANY meatball recipes that stop me in my tracks. I was even pondering the idea of doing a "Meatball Monday" segment on this blog, but I'm not sure if I can commit to meatballs once a week... I also have a love of noodles and other dishes that I need to help mix it up a bit.
I was tossing up which Bill Granger meatball recipe to make this week. They sounded similar, but this one included spices like paprika and cumin...so it won on this occasion. You don't serve these particular meatballs with pasta. I couldn't really imagine eating them with pasta. The recipe suggests Bill's roasted chilli potatoes, but I couldn't really be bothered; so I finished off a bag of chips we had in the freezer that we had left over from steak night.
So what did they taste like?
Surprisingly they had a Mexican flavour to them. Nice and juicy, I wasn't too sure how big to make them, so they ended up being quite big. Hamsley had trouble putting his finger on the flavour, but towards the end of eating, he blurted out "They taste like burritos!!!".
I wouldn't hesitate making these again. They would even be good as fingerfood at a party.
Baked Meatballs with Tomatoes
Bill Granger
500g minced beef or pork and veal
1 small onion
55g fresh white breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 red chillies, finely chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Serve with:
Roast potatoes
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7).
Bill Granger
500g minced beef or pork and veal
1 small onion
55g fresh white breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 red chillies, finely chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Serve with:
Roast potatoes
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7).
2. Combine the meat, onion, breadcrumbs, parsley, coriander, egg, cumin, paprika, half of the chilli and plenty of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix gently with your hands, then shape into small balls.
3. Toss the meatballs gently in the oil in a roasting tin and bake for 10-15 minutes. Transfer them to a fry pan over medium heat and add the tomatoes, sugar, remaining chilli and some more salt and pepper. Stir the meatballs carefully to coat and then simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve with roast potatoes.
Serves 4-6.
great looking meat balls. I guess cumin and coriander give that distinctive Mexican taste. I think I could easily sit down to a tray of these.