Veal and Pork Meatballs

Beef and pork is the most common combination for making meatballs, but substituting veal for the beef gives a lighter texture and taste and allows the delicate flavour of the herbs to come through a lot more.

Ingredients

350g veal mince

350g pork mince

150g fresh breadcrumbs

1tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Small bunch of basil, chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp oil

1 egg, beaten

To serve

Fresh tomato sauce

Pasta

Method

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the onion and fennel seeds, cooking slowly on a low heat until softened. 

2.Place both minces in a large bowl and mix with hands until evenly combined. Add the softened onion and fennel seeds, garlic, fresh and dried herbs and the breadcrumbs. Mix in the egg, gradually, until everything is well combined.

3.Now shape your meatballs. The size is down to preference- they can be the size of Bonbons or the size of golf balls. I like mine somewhere in the middle. Obviously the bigger ones need longer to cook, so this may be something to take into consideration if you are particularly hungry... Once shaped, place the meatballs in the fridge for at least half an hour, to firm up.

4.Once firmed, preheat the oven to 180 degrees and heat two tablespoons of oil in a saucepan to a high temperature. Fry the meatballs in batches until they are well browned and transfer to an oven proof dish containing the tomato sauce.

5.Bake the meatballs and sauce in the oven until cooked through and serve with pasta and grated Parmesan.