Recipe: Gently Spiced Meatballs

Recommended and tested by cleansheets.ie

Serves: 4
Ready in: 1 hour

Serve with: pasta or cous cous and some steamed brocolli

a note from cleansheets:
Please don’t be daunted by the spices, this is a great introduction for young and old. My 3 and 1 year old both happily eat this, if you’re a seasoned spice eater you could up the quantities…

Ingredients:

• 500g minced pork
• 1 medium onion
• 4 garlic cloves crushed or grated
• 2 teaspoons mild/medium curry powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• Quarter to half a teaspoon paprika
• 1 beaten egg
• 50g fresh breadcrumbs (2/3 slices of sliced pan
• whizzed in a food processor or the bought ones
• are fine too)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 400g tins chopped

1. Heat oven to 180oC/gas 4.
2. Take a little time to chop the onion really finely, the meatballs will hold together better.
3. Put the minced pork, onion, half the garlic, and spices in a mixing bowl and mix well with clean hands (take off your rings!)
4. Add the beaten egg and breadcrumbs and mix again.
5. Wet your hands before shaping the meat mixture into golf ball sized balls (you should get 15-18) The water helps to stop the meat sticking to your hands, set the meatballs aside on a plate.
6. In an oven proof saucepan or casserole dish, heat 1 tbsp oil on a moderate hob and add the rest of the garlic, just when it’s starting to smell good add two tins of tomatoes, and bring to the boil, allow to simmer as you continue. (it’s easy to burn garlic and it impairs the flavour so add the tomatoes quickly)
7. In a large frying pan heat the remaining oil and brown the meatballs all over in batches (a tongs is very handy for this).
8. Add each browned batch to the simmering tomato sauce, when they are all added put the covered dish in the oven for 30 minutes.
9. Meanwhile cook the pasta or cous cous according to the packet instructions and the brocolli to be ready when you take the meatballs out of the oven.
10. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the pasta/cous cous with the broccoli on the side.