Pork and veal meatballs

As family food or the appetiser at a dinner party, meatballs are easy, versatile and guaranteed to please a crowd. This recipe calls for both pork and veal, and gives the option of simmering them in tomato passata to serve with creamy polenta or over pasta.

Credit: Feast magazine

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 250 g minced pork 
• 250 g minced veal 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 tbsp chopped sage leaves 
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg 
• 1 small rosemary sprig, leaves picked, finely chopped 
• 100 g pancetta, finely chopped 
• 40 g (½ cup) grated parmesan 
• 2 tbsp olive oil or lard 
• good quality tomato pasta sauce or passata, and cooked polenta, to serve (optional)

Instructions

Combine mince, eggs, sage, nutmeg, rosemary, pancetta and parmesan in a large bowl, using your hands to ensure the mixture is evenly mixed. Season with salt and pepper.

Using damp hands, shape tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Cook meatballs, in 2 batches, turning for 5 minutes or until evenly browned and cooked through.

Warm through the tomato sauce or passata and toss meatballs through the sauce. Serve with polenta for a main course or on its own as an antipasto.

As seen in Feast magazine, Issue 8, pg39.

Photography by Alan Benson.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.