Classic Italian Meatballs

Catherine Fulvio has teamed up with Whirlpool to create a collection of recipes capturing flavours from around the world. Check out her delicious Classic Italian Meatballs recipe with a handy step by step video tutorial.

Classic Italian Meatballs                                                   

• Serves 4
• Preparation time: 35 minutes
• Cooking time: about 25 minutes

These are my all-time favourite for family meals and both the sauce and the meatballs freeze well too, so why not double the recipe and make some for next week while you are it.

For the meatballs:

• 150g minced pork
• 250g minced beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
• 4 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

For the sauce:

• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 celery stalk, sliced thinly
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 100ml red wine
• 400ml tinned Italian tomatoes
• 2 tsp tomato puree
• 300ml vegetable stock
• ½ tsp honey
• 1½ tsp chopped rosemary

 

• Olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Rosemary sprigs, to garnish
• Spaghetti, to serve
• Parmesan shavings, to serve

1. To make the meatballs, place the pork and beef, chopped onion, garlic and rosemary in a bowl, stir in the breadcrumbs.
2. Add the beaten egg and parsley, mix well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Dampen your hands with water and shape the meatball mixture into rounds slightly smaller than a golf ball in size.
4. To cook the meatballs, preheat the Whirlpool 6^th sense oven to 180°C/fan 160°C.
5. Using the Whirlpool induction hob, heat a large frying pan with a little oil, add the meatballs in batches and brown on all sides until golden. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and place in the oven to bake for about 12 minutes depending the size of the meatball or until cooked.
6. To make the sauce, heat a saucepan with some oil over a medium heat on the induction hob and add the onion and celery, sauté for about 5 minutes until softened but not brown. Add the garlic and simmer for a further 1 minute.
7. Pour in the red wine and cook for 2 minutes before adding the tomatoes and tomato puree.
8. Add the vegetable stock, honey and rosemary and simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring from time to time and check the seasoning, adding salt and freshly ground black pepper if required.
9. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions and to serve, mix the pasta into the sauce and place the meatballs on top. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and parmesan shavings.

Top Tip: test a small piece of meatball mixture for seasoning by heating a frying pan on the Whirlpool induction hob with a little oil and frying it on all sides. Taste and then adjust the seasoning accordingly by adding more herbs, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For more delicious recipes from Catherine Fulvio for Whirlpool, visit their website.