Gym Night & Meatballs

Last night I went for my gym induction which was actually quite fun and I finished off with a quick uphill run on the treadmill in anticipation of my calorific dinner, prepared by Mr W.

I made a batch of meatballs for a gathering we had recently and I froze two portions.  Mr W made a delicious sauce with onions, garlic, tomatoes and balsamic and fried the meatballs until browned before simmering in the sauce.  We had spaghetti, would have been rude not to really.

A sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley and grated parmesan finished it off nicely and I wolfed the lot, and seconds.  I did burn around 200 calories at the gym though so I was allowed ;)

To make the meatballs (a large batch):

2 lb Beef Mince
1 lb Pork Mince
4 Shallots (large, preferably eschallion), finely chopped
3-4  Cloves of Garlic, crushed
2-3 Red Chillies, finely chopped
Chopped Herbs (I used basil and parsley but you can use coriander and oregano too)
Fine Breadcrumbs (hard to judge, just until you get the right consistency)
1 Beaten Egg
Salt & Pepper

Mix all of the above together in a large bowl and season.  Cover and put in the freezer for half an hour - it makes it easier to form the 'balls'.  Roll into small balls, the size of a 1980's style gobstopper (if you're old enough to remember).  Fry in olive oil in batches.

To make the sauce (sorry, no measurements - just enough to more than cover the meatballs, and I don't generally cook all the meatballs at once):

Preferably fresh plum/vine tomatoes, peeled and de-seeded
Chopped shallots/onion
Crushed Garlic
Splash of White Wine (optional)
Passata

Fry the onions and garlic, add the wine and reduce slightly.  Add the tomatoes and passata. 

Add the meatballs to the sauce when cooked and simmer for as long as possible.  They are always better the day after after another long simmer.  Fresh tomatoes really make a difference to the taste but you can use tins of chopped tomatoes if you don't have fresh to hand.

The raw meatballs freeze well.  I split into portions for two people and place in those containers you get mushrooms etc. in from the supermarket.  Be careful you don't squash them!

Top tip: To peel tomatoes, put a little cross in both ends before dropping into boiling water.  Wait around 30 seconds until you can see the skin starting to lift.  Take out of the water and allow to cool and it comes off easily.