I've done 2 versions - Meatballs and pasta or a meatball pizza !

1) Meatballs & Pasta

The magic ingredient for these meatballs is fennels seeds which have been toasted slightly before being lightly crushed and added to the meatballs.

Meatball Ingredients

1 large handful of bread crumbs soaked in some milk
1 red onion (finely chopped)
250g minced beef
250g minced pork
1 small handful grated pecorino
Salt & Pepper
2 tsp fennel seeds (toasted & bashed)

Meatball Pizza - image 1 - student project

Sauce Ingredient

1 white onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 red bell pepper (roasted, skinned and chopped)
1 400g tin of tomatoes (chopped)
1 glass of red wine (plus a glass or two for you)
1 splash of balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of tomato puree
1 red chilli pepper
1 tbsp of brown sugar
1 or 2 anchovy fillets (optional - but it gives some good umami)
A glug of olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Parmesan to grate over at the end

Meatball Pizza - image 2 - student project

Step 1 - Make the sauce

Gently fry the onions in a splash of olive oil and some salt for 10 minutes. Then add the glass of red wine and fry for another 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, anchovy, chilli, splash of vinegar and tomato puree and keep frying for a couple more minutes giving everything a good stir. Then add the remaining ingredients (red peppers, sugar, tomatoes and a glass of water) stir and leave the lid half on, on a low heat, to blip away for as long as it takes to make the meatballs.

Step 2 - Make the meatballs

Mix all the meatball ingredients together.

Meatball Pizza - image 3 - student project

Arrange them into the "Holzman Grid" and roast in the oven (200C) ...

Meatball Pizza - image 4 - student project

Cook some spaghetti and mix with the sauce then top with your cooked meatballs, a final spoon of sauce and some grated cheese.

Meatball Pizza - image 5 - student project

2) Meatball Pizza

Basic Dough

500g strong white flour
5g fast action yeast
30ml of oil
320ml of tepid water
10g salt
2 tbsp of sugar
Cooked meatballs & sauce as above.

Measure out the water and oil together in a jug; mix the flour, sugar and yeast together in a large bowl then add your salt (so it doesn't kill the yeast). Then add your liquids, mix and turn it out onto a surface for kneading.

Resist the temptation to add more flour! This will make the dough tougher. The wetter the dough the better the pizza.

Knead the dough for as long as you can (apparently you can't really over knead it by hand). I prefer using Richard Bertinet's kneading technique. He makes a really light dough.

Meatball Pizza - image 6 - student project

Leave it to stand for at least 2hrs ideally in the fridge over night.

Roll it out and dress it with the tomato sauce, meatballs and mozarella.

Bake it in a screaming hot oven (250C/480F) on a pizza stone (if you can) for 15-20 minutes.

Meatball Pizza - image 7 - student project

Meatball Pizza - image 8 - student project

Murray C

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