I started off with an urge to make some good old fashioned meatballs, but couldn’t decide on a sauce. Eventually I went with a traditional Spanish tomato sauce but then – oops – ended up making way to many meatballs for the amount of sauce I had. So I had to come up with a second sauce for the extra meatballs and decided to go with a sherry sauce. The original tomato sauce recipe I had called for pancetta, but I chose to use up some jamón and chorizo threads I had in the fridge instead and the result was very tasty. Then for the sherry sauce I used bacon bits. Just to say that the pancetta can be switched for something similar.

My first batch made about 30 meatballs (which is why I needed another sauce). I’ve halved the recipe to make 15 meatballs with one of the sauces, or you can double it and make both sauces. Frankly, it takes almost as much effort to make 30 meatballs as 15, and they freeze well, so I’d always opt for going with the larger batch.

Ingredients and instructions below…

Pork & Beef Meatballs

Makes approx 15 meatballs

• 1/4 kilo ground beef
• 1/4 kilo ground pork
• 2 tablespoons minced green onion
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 clove garlic, minced
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
• ground black pepper
• fine bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix everything, other than the olive oil, together in a large bowl (I find squishing it all between my fingers works best), slowly adding the bread crumbs at the end, until you get a nice texture. Then form the meatballs, roll them in breadcrumbs, and place on a large plate or tray. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes before cooking.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and brown the meatballs in batches (don’t crowd them), turning occasionally until cooked, about 5-7 minutes. When the sauces are ready, add the cooked meatballs to each sauce and heat through for another 10 minutes.

meatballs in tomato sauce

Tomato Sauce

• 100 grams pancetta, chopped
• 1 medium minced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 150 grams chopped roasted red pepper
• 1  teaspoon dried mixed herbs
• 1  teaspoons dried oregano
• ground black pepper
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 2 400 gram tins chopped tomatoes
• olive oil

Heat olive oil in a saucepan and add the pancetta, garlic and onions. Stir over a medium heat until cooked through. Add the red peppers, herbs and black pepper, stirring until heated through. Add the white wine and turn up the heat, stirring until half the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the tomato puree, then add the chopped tomatoes. Keep stirring until the sauce comes to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for approximately 60 minutes. Add cooked meatballs.

meatballs in sherry sauce

Garlicky Sherry Sauce

• 100 grams pancetta, chopped
• 1 medium minced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ground black pepper
• 1 cup fino sherry
• 1 cup hot chicken broth

Heat olive oil in a saucepan and sautée the pancetta, garlic, black pepper and onion until the onion is translucent and the pancetta starts to crisp up. Add the fino and turn up the heat, stirring constantly until half the liquid has evaporated, then add the broth and when it comes to a boil, turn down heat and keep stirring until the sauce thickens a bit, about 5 minutes. Add cooked meatballs.