Recipe
Spinach and veal meatballs recipe
Can you ever beat a tasty meatball dinner? Certainly not when they're this good!
By Michael Rantissi & Kristy Frawley
You can never have enough meatball recipes in your repertoire. This is a good midweek dinner as it is quick to prepare and is lovely with steamed rice. The veal mixture also makes great rissoles – roll it into patties and pan-fry them until cooked through.
Serves 4
Ingredients to make spinach and veal meatballs recipe
2 large bunches English spinach (about 800 g/1 lb 12 oz), trimmed
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) minced (ground) veal
2 eggs
80 g (2¾ oz/ 2/3 cup) dry breadcrumbs
140 ml (4½ fl oz) olive oil
1 tablespoon dried mint (optional)
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée)
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) beef stock
1 large handful coriander (cilantro), coarsely chopped
How to make spinach and veal meatballs recipe
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Add half the spinach to the boiling water and cook for 30 seconds, then transfer to the bowl of iced water. Repeat with the remaining spinach. Drain the spinach and squeeze out all the liquid with your hands. Finely chop the spinach, then put it in a large bowl with the veal, eggs, breadcrumbs and 3tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the mint, if using, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix until well combined.
Oil your hands and roll the veal mixture into balls about 55 g (2 oz) each, similar to the size of a golf ball. Heat the remaining oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Cook the meatballs in batches for 2–3 minutes, until light golden brown (do not cook through as they will finish cooking in the sauce).
Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sweat for 3–5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and chilli flakes and cook for another minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium–low and carefully add the meatballs. Simmer for 25–30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in the chopped coriander.
Citro food tip
Want a vegan version? Replace the veal with lentils, tofu, Quark or Beyond Meat beef. If you opt for lentils, you may need to add an extra egg white to the mix so everything binds together well.
Images and text from Middle Eastern Feasts by Michael Rantissi & Kristy Frawley, photography by Alan Benson. Murdoch Books RRP $39.99
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