Michael's Mexican Meatballs

What you need

Sauce

  • 4 ripe tomatoes
  • 4-5 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce, strained, plus 1 tbsp of the strained sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 cup chicken stock

Meatballs

  • 300g beef mince
  • 300g pork mince
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Manchego or pecorino cheese, to serve

How it’s done

Sauce

Place the tomatoes, chillies plus 1 tsp of their sauce, garlic, cumin, oregano and salt in a blender.

Add the chicken stock and process until quite smooth.

Meatballs

Place the beef, pork, cumin, garlic, 1 tsp salt and a grind of pepper in a bowl. Mix well

Stir in the breadcrumbs, eggs and milk.

To check the seasoning, cook a small amount of mixture and taste it.

Form the mince mixture into small balls about the diameter of a 20-cent piece.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat with a splash of olive oil. Add the meatballs and brown gently for 2 minutes.

Add the sauce and cook gently for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce starts to thicken.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until the sauce has reduced to about half its original volume and coats the meatballs.

To serve

Spoon the meatballs onto a serving plate, and grate a little manchego or pecorino over the top