Meatballs with tomato and green olive sauce

Ingredients

• 500 g lean pork mince
• 1 small red onion grated or very finely chopped
• a pinch (optional) dried chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds crushed in a pestle and mortar
• grated to make 4 tbsp parmesan
• olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic sliced
• 2 × 400g tins plum tomatoes
• 4 cloves
• 12 green olives pitted and quartered
• a small bunch basil shredded
• 300 g tagliatelle
• a knob butter

Instructions

1. 1

   To make the sauce heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add the garlic and sizzle gently for a couple of minutes. Tip in the tomatoes and cloves, then simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened a little, squashing down the tomatoes as you cook.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, to make the meatballs, put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, season and mix well with your hands. Form into walnut-sized balls (you’ll get about 20).

3. 3

   Heat a non-stick frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Brown the meatballs all over – do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.

4. 4

   Scoop the cloves out of the tomato sauce, then add the meatballs and olives. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Stir in the basil to finish. Serve with buttered tagliatelle.