Meatball Orzo Bake

Ingredients

• 400 g pork mince
• 400 g beef mince
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 40 g parmesan, finely grated, divided
• 750 ml hot chicken stock
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 350 g orzo
• 40 g panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 onion, finely grated
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 200 g mozzarella, torn
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 400 ml passata
• 1 tsp caster sugar

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C fan. In a large bowl, combine both minces with half the parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg and half the grated garlic, oregano and chilli flakes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Overworking it turns the texture rubbery. Roll into about 30 walnut-sized meatballs.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large ovenproof casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in two or three batches; don't crowd the pan. All in at once and the temperature drops, water leaches out, and you've boiled them grey instead of building a deep mahogany crust. Give each batch about 4 minutes, turning to colour most sides, then set aside on a plate. Leave the sticky brown bits in the pan; that's your fond.
3. Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the remaining grated garlic. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds. Do not let it colour. Add the chilli flakes, dried basil and sugar and let them toast in the warm oil for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
4. Pour in the passata, chopped tomatoes and the chicken stock, scraping up the fond from the base of the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer. Taste the sauce and season; it should taste vivid, not flat.
5. Stir in the orzo so it settles into the sauce. The orzo will absorb the seasoned liquid as it bakes, so the sauce itself should already taste balanced; well-salted pasta water principle, just built into the bake. Nestle the browned meatballs on top, cover tightly with a lid or foil, and bake for 25 minutes until the orzo is nearly tender and most of the liquid has been drawn up.
6. Uncover and scatter the mozzarella and remaining parmesan evenly over the top. Return to the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes until bubbling fiercely at the edges and burnished gold across the top. Taste a corner; adjust salt one last time if it needs it.
7. Rest for 5 minutes off the heat so the orzo finishes drinking in the sauce. It should be creamy underneath with a crisp cheese lid that cracks under a spoon.
8. Cool any leftovers in portions; reheat covered in the oven with a splash of stock to loosen.