SPANISH MEATBALLS

This is a great dish, everyone loves it!  I've lost my Tapas Cookbook so this recipe is from memory but it should serve 4 people very well as a main course. You can make the meatballs bitesize for a tapa, served with crusty bread or make them a bit larger and serve as a main dish with spaghetti or tagliatelle (flat noodle type pasta).  The sauce is my basic FRESH TOMATO SAUCE but with *one important addition!

INGREDIENTS

MEATBALLS:
1lb Minced Steak
1 Onion - grated or very very finely chopped
Handful of damp breadcrumbs (made from stale bread, dampened with a little water)
1 egg
Mixed Herbs (I favour Herbes de Provence)
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Plain flour (for rolling the meatballs in)

SAUCE:
Tinned tomatoes (cheapest supermarket own brand is fine)
Olive Oil
Mixed Herbs (Herbes de Provence)
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A small amount of sugar (a teaspoonful, then taste before adding more)
*Fino - Spanish Dry Sherry

*Fino is the added ingredient to my FRESH TOMATO SAUCE and is very important, the sauce is just not the same without it!

METHOD
Make the sauce as per my FRESH TOMATO SAUCE, adding a good couple of glugs of Fino.  You need to use a deep pan so there is room for the meatballs to be added later. Leave the sauce to simmer whilst you make the meatballs...

Place the minced steak, grated onion, breadcrumbs and seasonings together in a bowl and mix well with a beaten egg.  If the mixture is too wet add a little flour.

Put 2 plates out and sprinkle some flour on one.  Using your hands roll small amounts of mixture into balls, roll in flour to coat on all sides and put to one side.  Repeat until you have used all the mixture.

In a frying pan heat a small amount of olive oil and brown all the meatballs.  Don't put too many in the pan at once.  You are just sealing the meat and giving it some colour so don't leave them in too long.

Once all the meatballs are browned place them carefully into the pan of sauce and cook on a low heat for about 15 minutes.  The sauce will thicken slightly.  If you are making them in advance turn off the heat when you have added the meatballs and reheat through later.

If you are going to serve the meatballs with pasta now is the time to cook that and set the table!

These are delicious served as a tapa in small individual dishes with lots of sauce and some crusty bread to mop it all up!