Lamb, fennel and anchovy meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic Italian-American dish and this is a fun variation. The fennel and anchovies really pump up the flavour of the meatballs, which you could serve with flatbreads or a vegetable side dish as well as other pasta shapes.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Tomato sauce
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 800g of tinned chopped tomatoes
- 125ml of white wine
- 250ml of chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves, torn
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée
Meatballs
- 400g of lamb mince
- 1 slice of white bread, crusts removed
- 3 tbsp of milk
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 8 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp of fennel seeds, toasted in a dry pan
- 1 lemon, zested
SAVE RECIPE
Method
1
Make the sauce by softening the onion in the olive oil until soft but not coloured. Add the chilli flakes and tomato purée and cook, stirring for a minute or so
2
Add the white wine and let it bubble. Add the chicken stock, tinned tomatoes, bay leaves and some salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and leave to cook with the lid on (leave a small gap) for 20 minutes. Check the seasoning
3
Make the meatballs by combining the bread with the milk and mashing to a paste with a fork
4
Combine this with the minced lamb, fennel seeds, garlic, anchovies and lemon zest. Check the seasoning by frying a small amount in a frying pan. You probably won’t need any salt as the anchovies are salty
5
Form into 20 golf ball-sized meatballs
6
Colour the meatballs in a frying pan until browned (but not cooked through). Add to the sauce and simmer gently for 5 minutes
7
Serve with spaghetti or flatbreads, scattered with the chopped parsley
First published in 2018
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