Cassoulet-style Smoky Bacon Meatballs
A hearty and comforting dish for those cooler nights, a nod to the traditional cassoulet with a rich tomato sauce and cannellini beans.
RICH TOMATO SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
20 grams butter
1 brown onion, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, stalks discarded
400-gram tin finely chopped tomatoes or passata
1 cup chicken stock
390-gram tin cannellini beans, drained
2 teaspoons brown sugar
sea salt and cracked pepper
MEATBALLS
3 slices bread, crusts removed
250 grams streaky bacon, roughly chopped
½ red onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
350 grams pork mince
3 tablespoons chopped mixed herbs (parsley, sage, oregano)
sea salt and cracked pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil, for frying
BREADCRUMBS
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 slices bread, blitz to breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 180°C regular bake.
RICH TOMATO SAUCE: Heat the olive oil and butter in a large heavy-based casserole dish. Add the onion, celery and carrot and gently fry until softened. Add the garlic and fresh herbs and fry briefly for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and gently simmer for 30 minutes, stirring regularly. Once thickened, add the cannellini beans, sugar and season with salt and pepper. If the sauce begins to dry out, add a little water.
While the sauce is cooking, make the meatballs. Put the slices of bread in a food processor and blitz to a fine
