Meatballs with Celery-Tomato Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 stalk Celery
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1.5 red onions
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tsp Sambal oelek
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 700 g ground beef
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Mustard
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (15 g)
• 1 egg
• 30 g whole‑grain breadcrumbs (3–4 tbsp)
• Fleur de sel

Instructions

1. 1.

   Clean, wash and dice the celery. Roughly chop the celery leaves. Rinse tomatoes with hot water, peel, core and cut into small cubes. Peel and finely dice the onions. Mix celery, tomatoes and one‑third of the onions; add lime juice, 1 tbsp oil, salt, pepper and sambal oelek; mix well and let rest.

2. 2.

   Peel and finely dice the garlic. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Sauté the remaining onion cubes and garlic over medium heat for 3–5 minutes, then cool slightly. Place ground beef in a bowl, add 1 tsp salt, pepper, soy sauce, mustard, tomato paste, egg and the onion mixture. Combine with breadcrumbs to form a pliable dough; shape into 12 small meatballs.

3. 3.

   Heat remaining oil in a large pan. Fry the meatballs in batches for about 5 minutes per side over medium heat. Remove and drain briefly on paper towels.

4. 4.

   Season the salsa and lightly grind pepper over it. Arrange meatballs on a plate, scatter some salsa and fleur de sel on top, and serve. Offer any leftover salsa separately.