Categories: Italian

Ingredients

• Serves 3-4
• 2 slices of day-old bread (about 50g), crusts removed
• A little milk
• 500g minced beef
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• A small garlic clove
• A sprig of parsley
• Salt and black pepper
• For the sauce
• 750g ripe, fresh tomatoes
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1–2 garlic cloves, peeled or crushed
• A pinch of red chilli flakes (optional)
• A tin of peeled plum tomatoes, chopped roughly in the tin
• 1 tbsp tomato puree (optional)
• Salt

Directions

1. Rip the bread and soak in a little milk until soft, and easily crumbled. Squeeze out excess milk. Put the crumbs in a large bowl along with the beef and lightly beaten eggs.

2. 2 Peel and chop the garlic very finely along with the parsley, salt and pepper. Add to the meat, then use your hands to mix everything together.

3. 3 Divide the mixture into 12 meatballs: if the mixture is very sticky, flour your hands lightly. Let the meatballs rest.

4. 4 Meanwhile, make the sauce. Peel the fresh tomatoes by plunging them first in boiling water, then in cold, at which point the skins should slip off. Then chop them roughly.

5. 5 Peel the garlic and crush for a milder flavour or finely chop for stronger. Put 4 tbsp of the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan or cassarole and cook the garlic gently over a low heat until it is fragrant. At this point you can remove the whole garlic if you wish.

6. 6 Add the chopped tomatoes and chilli. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the final 2 tbsp oil and the tinned tomatoes. Add 1 tbsp tomato puree if you feel it needs it. Cook for 20–40 minutes, or until the sauce is rich and thick.

7. 7 Drop the meatballs in the sauce, making sure they are submerged. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and poach for 15 minutes, by which time the meatballs should be cooked through but still tender.

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