Meatballs baked in Tomato sauce on Polenta

Ingredients

for the meatballs

• 500g beef mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped and sauteed
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• squeeze of lemon juice
• salt & black pepper to taste

for the sauce

• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 1 x 400g tin tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• salt & pepper to taste

for the polenta

• 1 cup polenta
• 2 cups stock
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 50ml cream
• salt to taste

to serve

• Pecorino, grated
• fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
For the meatballs, combine all the ingredients and mix well.

Combine all the sauce ingredients and pour into a deep roasting dish/casserole dish.
Form medium sized meatballs and place into the roasting dish.
Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly and the meatballs are cooked.

To make the polenta, bring the stock and milk to a simmer and whisk in the polenta. Continue whisking until the polenta has started thickening then turn down the heat and allow the polenta to gently cook for 10-15 minutes.

Add the butter, cream and season with salt.
Serve the polenta with the meatballs and sauce topped with grated Pecorino and parsley.