Ingredients :
150g (5 oz) crust less stale white bread
150 ml (0.25 pint) milk
15g (0.5 oz) butter or margarine
20 ml (4 level tsp) flour
200 ml (7 fl oz) beef stock
397g (14 oz) can tomatoes, sieved
5 ml (1 level tsp) sugar (optional)
2.5 ml (0.5 level tsp) dried thyme
salt and pepper
1 large onion, skinned and finely chopped
450g (1 lb) minced beef
5 ml (1 level tsp) paprika
45 ml (3 tbsp) vegetable oil
Preparation :
- Crumble the white bread into a bowl, pour over the milk and leave to soak for 30 minutes
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan, stir in the flour and cook gently for 1 minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the stock. Return to the heat, bring to the boil and continue to cook, stirring until the sauce thickens. Add the tomatoes, sugar, if using and thyme. Season well and simmer, covered for 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, put the onion and the mince in a bowl and add the soaked bread with any remaining milk, the paprika and seasoning. Using floured hands shape the mixture into 18 balls.
- Heat the oil in the frying pan and fry the meat balls a few at a time until browned all over.
- Place the meat balls in a single layer in a shallow ovenproof dish and pour over sauce. Cover and bake at 180C (350F) Mark 4 Gas for about 30 minutes
We love this recipe. I tend to leave my bread out on a plate under a dome for several days to make sure it is stale. I also ramp up the sauce and use 500 ml beef stock and I use 500g tomato passata instead of canned tomatoes sieved. I also tend to be heavy handed with the dried thyme, it just adds a world of flavour to the sauce. When frying the meatballs I usually cook around 6-8 at a time
The beauty of this dish is leftovers, although in our house the common phrase is, “okay, just one more” repeatedly! You can cool and freeze and then you have another meal available. Once they have defrosted, I again put them in the oven in a ovenproof dish, cover them in tinfoil and heat for 30 mins.
Please let me know what you think