Mini Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 500 g pork and beef mince mix
• 1 egg, beaten
• 40 g breadcrumbs
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 30 g Parmesan, finely grated
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 200 ml hot vegetable stock
• ½ tsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 15 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine the mince, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, grated garlic, oregano, and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper; season firmly now, because under-seasoned meatballs taste flat no matter how good the sauce is. Mix with your hands until evenly bound, then roll heaped teaspoons into about 32 mini meatballs, keeping them small so they cook through quickly and feel child-sized.
2. Warm 1 tablespoon of oil in a large casserole or deep frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in two batches, turning often until deeply coloured all over, about 4 minutes per batch. Don't crowd the pan; all at once and the pan steams instead of sears, and you lose the brown crust that flavours the sauce. Lift them out to a plate.
3. Drop the heat to medium, add the remaining oil, then soften the onion and carrot with a pinch of salt for 8 to 10 minutes until sweet, translucent, and just starting to catch at the edges. Stir in the grated garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant; no longer. Add the tomato puree and cook for another 90 seconds, stirring, until it darkens a shade and smells jammy rather than raw.
4. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, the hot vegetable stock. Scrape up any browned bits stuck to the base; that's pure flavour. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until slightly reduced and glossy.
5. Slide the meatballs and any resting juices back in, partly cover with a lid, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring gently now and then so they hold their shape. They're done when cooked through and the sauce coats the back of a spoon without running off in a flood.
6. Taste. The sauce should be mild, gently sweet, and deeply tomatoey rather than sharp or watery; another pinch of sugar if it bites, another pinch of salt if it falls flat.
7. Spoon the meatballs and sauce into shallow bowls, scatter the chopped parsley generously over the top, and tuck a warm crusty roll alongside each bowl for dunking.