Red & Green Meatballs

When I stared into my bereft vegetable drawer while I clutched at a bag of minced pork, my mind grew blank and I thought about getting a takeaway. My thriftiness kicked in though, and a plan was formulated to bring together the odds and sods languishing in my fridge. Bedraggled parsley leaves, an abundance of coriander stalks, truly they should have been destined for the bin. Instead, along with a sorry wrinkled green chilli they got blitzed right up with some fruity extra virgin olive oil. A clove of garlic added spiciness and pungency, complementing the sweet flavours of the tomato sauce and the aniseed hit of the fennel seed within the meatballs. It was a vibrant dish and needed only some crust bread to mop the sauce up with.


Red & Green Meatballs

Serves 2

300gr minced pork
A handful of breadcrumbs
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 white onion
1 tin of peeled plum tomatoes
2 tsp tomato puree
A handful of parsley leaves
A bunch of coriander stalks (or leaves)
1 green chilli
1 spring onion
1 clove of garlic
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Heat up some oil and add the onion, diced, frying until softened and translucent. Add the tinned tomatoes and the tomato puree and simmer. Meanwhile, toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan and grind in a mortar and pestle. Add to the minced pork along with some salt, pepper, and the breadcrumbs. Work into golf sized balls. Using a blender or a stick whizzer process the tomato sauce so that it's smooth. Add the meatballs, cover, and cook for 40 minutes, taking the lid off halfway through.

Meanwhile, add the parsley, coriander, garlic and olive oil to a blender or food processor. Add a little salt and pepper and whizz into a dressing.

To serve, drizzle the green sauce over the tomato meatballs.