Juicy pork meatballs with a warming kick of harissa, nestled in a rich tomato sauce. Transform a base of spicy meatballs into three simple dinners for busy weekdays. The dish will make three batches of meatballs, which will keep chilled for up to four days. Perfect with pasta, crusty bread, or stuffed into pittas.
Ingredients
- 150g soft white breadcrumbs
- 150ml of whole milk
- 1kg of pork mince
- 2 tbsp of harissa
- 1 lemon
- 30g of finely grated parmesan
- 3 anchovies, finely chopped
- small handful of parsley
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- small bunch of basil
- 4 crushed garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp of tomato purée
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar
- 2 x 400g cans of plum tomatoes
- 25g butter
Method
- Put the breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl and pour over the milk. Stir and leave for 5 mins until the bread soaks up the milk. Add the pork, harissa, lemon, parmesan, anchovies and parsley. Season with plenty of black pepper and ½ tsp fine sea salt. Shape into 60 meatballs, about 25g each. Place on a baking tray. If not cooking straight away, cover and keep in the fridge for up to two days.
- Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add the onions and basil stems with a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 mins until softening, then add the garlic. Cook for 2 mins more. Add the tomato purée, sugar and vinegar. Cook for 3-4 mins, stirring often, until caramelised. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with your spoon. Bring to a gentle simmer, then stir in the basil leaves and butter. Cook for 20 mins until thickened, then season to taste. The sauce can be chilled for up to three days if cooled first.
- Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Pour the tomato sauce into a baking dish if needed, and arrange the meatballs evenly on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil, cover with foil and bake for 25 mins. Remove the foil and bake for another 25 mins, until the meatballs are cooked through and browned. Will keep in the fridge for up to four days.