Have a ball with these homemade meatball subs
A twist on Italian meatballs? Just roll with it.
There’s nothing like the aroma of freshly grated cheese wafting up from the plate. Keep a hunk of parmesan or pecorino at hand in the fridge – that bonus umami, or savouriness, takes even the simplest Italian dish from good to great. These meatballs will be an instant family favourite. If you’d prefer to serve them with the easy sauce as a pasta dish instead, cook the spaghetti to packet instructions and serve together.
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Meatballs
Start the red sauce by heating the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan, and then adding in the basil stalks and the bruised garlic; sauté for 10 minutes until the garlic softens. Add in the tomato paste and stir for a couple of minutes, then plop in the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar; season to taste. Rinse out tins with ½ a cup of water, sloshing this in too. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to a low simmer for 30 minutes.
While the red sauce is simmering, break the bread into rough crumbs in a big mixing bowl, then add mince, currants, herbs, egg, nutmeg, bicarb, salt, pepper and a couple of spoonfuls of the red sauce from the pan. Using your hands, give the mix a really good massage to combine. Now is a good time to take a little of the mix and fry it in a little pan to get a good idea of the seasoning, adding more if needed. Roll the mixture into walnut-sized polpette (balls) on a board or tray.
Heat oven to 200C (180C fan). In a large, deep roasting pan (or heavy-bottomed pan), brown the polpette in batches on both sides in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Once done, pour the simmering red sauce over the top and snuggle in the polpette, keeping them quite close. Cover with foil, place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes.
Halve rolls through the top to create a pocket, and then place on 2 lined baking trays. Arrange 6 polpette and some of the bocconcini in each pocket, spoon over some red sauce and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted and bread is extra crusty. Serve warm with extra grated parmesan and basil leaves.
Makes 8 subs (or 48 meatballs)