Polpette al Sugo with Polenta

Ingredients:

For the meatballs: 

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1 cup stale sourdough, pulsed into breadcrumbs

2 tsp + 1 tbsp fennel seeds (2 tsp will be ground, 1 tbsp will be whole) 

1 bay leaf

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce: 

1 onion

1 can chopped tomatoes

2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped

About 10 basil leaves, chiffonaded

2 cloves garlic grated

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp olive oil

8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

salt and pepper to taste

For the polenta: 

1/2 cup polenta

1 cup water

1.5 cups milk 

2 tbsp butter

grated parmesan, to taste

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. In a spice grinder, or mortar and pestle, grind the 2 tsp fennel and the bay leaf. 

2. Combine the meats, sourdough breadcrumbs, ground herbs, grated garlic, egg, salt and pepper. 

3. Mix all of the ingredients with your hands, but don’t overmix as this will cause the meat to be tough. 

4. Cook one small meatball as a tester for seasoning. 

5. Adjust seasoning based on how the tester tastes. 

6. Create around 8 golf ball-sized meatballs. 

7. Brown the meatballs on all sides and place them on a plate. 

8. Finely dice your onion and add them to the same pan you just cooked your meatballs in. 

9. Brown the onion and then add it to a blender along with the can of chopped tomatoes.

10. Transfer the blended tomato and onion into the saucepan and add in the rosemary, basil, grated garlic, tomato paste, olive oil, cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper. Fill the empty tomato can halfway with water and add it to the pan. Bring this to a simmer for 10 minutes.

11. After 10 minutes, add the meatballs back into the pan and simmer for about 30 more minutes. 

12. Once the meatballs have simmered for 10 minutes, you can begin the polenta. 

13. Place the polenta into a blender or food processor and let it blend to create a finer grain. Bring the milk and water to a simmer. Slowly whisk in the polenta over a low heat. Let the polenta cook over low heat for about 15-20 minutes until thickened and soft. Add in the butter, grated parm, and salt and pepper. I find polenta needs quite a lot of salt and pepper to bring out the flavor so make sure you taste it before serving. 

14. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the polenta and finish with parmesan, more herbs and olive oil. Enjoy!