Love meatballs? We do … and we’re really loving this new recipe from Spier, who suggest (quite rightly) that we enjoy them with their new Seaward wine.
Serve these hearty nuggets with pasta, mashed potato or crusty bread. They pair wonderfully with Spier Seaward Shiraz 2017.
This lovely rich wine has beautifully layered aromas of mulberry, violets and plum and is great with these meatballs as well as your favourite cut of grilled red meat and root vegetables or a vegetarian moussaka.
Pork & Fennel Meatballs with Tomato Sauce
Serves six
Ingredients
For the sauce: 45 ml olive oil; 3 cloves garlic (crushed/grated); 2 cans (800 g) whole Italian tomatoes (blitzed to a smooth pulp); 10 ml (2 teaspoons) sugar; salt and pepper to taste
For the meatballs: 30 ml olive oil; 1 onion (finely chopped); 1 fennel bulb (finely chopped, and save some of the fronds for serving); rind of a small lemon (finely grated); 10 ml smoked paprika; 1 kg pork mince; salt and pepper to taste
Method
Prepare the sauce: Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot and fry the garlic over medium heat until golden. Add the smooth tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes or until reduced by a third. Set aside.
Prepare the meatballs: In a wide pan, heat the oil and fry the onions, fennel and lemon rind until they are soft and fragrant. Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl, adding the smoked paprika, mince, salt and pepper. Mix well. Shape into balls (about 4 to 5cm in diameter). Using the same pan as before, add more olive oil and fry the meatballs on all sides over medium heat until just cooked. Serve with the warm tomato sauce, scattered with fennel fronds. Optionally, serve with pasta/starch of your choice.
The Seaward range is exclusively available from the Spier wine shop and in stores nationwide from July 2019.
Details: spier.co.za/wine/wine-ranges/seaward
