This evening I made an adapted version of this recipe from the Polpo book. The fennel taste works really well with the pork and the sauce is a perfect accompaniment. I’m sure it would go well with pretty much anything, but I served it with olive oil and spring onion mashed potatoes and a little salad. A little sprinkle of cheese doesn’t go amiss either.

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For the Sauce: 1 onion, 1 clove garlic, pinch chilli flakes, 2 sticks celery, 50 mls extra virgin olive oil, 2 tomatoes, 2 tins chopped tomatoes, 3 tbsp red wine, 1 tsp herbes de provence

Finely slice all the vegetables. Heat the olive olive oil on a medium high heat in a large saucepan and sweat the vegetables for 10 minutes with the chilli and season well. Chop the tomatoes into rough chunks. Add the fresh tomatoes, tinned tomatoes, red wine and dried herbs with a pinch more seasoning. Bring to a boil then simmer for an hour covered, stirring occasionally.

For the Meatballs: 850g pork mince, large pinch chilli flakes, 1 tbsp fennel seeds – toasted and crushed, 2 eggs, 100g breadcrumbs

Put everything in a big bowl and scrunch it all together well till it’s well mixed with seasoning. Preheat the oven to 220C. Shape the mix into big balls and arrange on a lined baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes, turning over once. Add them to the simmering sauce and cook gently for another 10 minutes.