Spicy Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp pine nuts
• 1 onion
• 6 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 slices whole‑grain sandwich bread
• 600 g ground beef
• 1 egg
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• 1 tsp Sweet paprika powder
• 0.5 tsp wild fennel seeds (ground)
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 600 g diced canned tomatoes
• 120 ml Vegetable broth
• 1 cinnamon stick (crushed)
• a pinch of raw cane sugar
• 2 sprigs Rosemary

Instructions

1. 1.

   Roast the pine nuts in a dry pan until golden brown, set aside. Reserve 2 tbsp for garnish. Peel and finely dice the onion; sauté in a hot pan with 1 tbsp oil until translucent. Remove from heat and let cool. Toast the bread, then soak it in lukewarm water.

2. 2.

   Mix the ground beef with pine nuts, onions, egg, drained toasted bread, salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, and fennel seeds in a bowl.

3. 3.

   Form small balls from the meat mixture and brown them in a hot pan with 2 tbsp oil on all sides.

4. 4.

   Peel the garlic and blend it with tomatoes and vegetable broth in a tall mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil while whisking. Refine the sauce with crushed cinnamon, then season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.

5. 5.

   Warm the sauce in a pan or pot, add the meatballs, and let them simmer until cooked through.

6. 6.

   Serve both the sauce and meatballs in small bowls, garnished with rosemary and pine nuts.