Italian Meatballs

We don't eat meat often, preferring fish, but there's been this pack of minced meat sitting in the freezer which really should be used ... it's a half and half of beef and pork mince, and about a kilo in total (two pounds ... ish).

Put the meat into a mixing bowl and add the following:

• one chopped onion and several cloves of garlic (to taste) ... which I actually hand blended
• Parmesan or Pecorino cheese ... I used pecorino and grated about 4oz
• oregano ... dried is fine; a good teaspoon
• parsley ... fresh and chopped; several leaves
• generous splash of Worcestershire Sauce
• sea salt and black pepper

No need for breadcrumbs or rusk filler. Bread was only ever included to bulk out the dish - we have enough with the meat here.

Mix well and then form balls about 4oz in weight.

Assemble on an ovenproof plate and cook through for about 45-60 minutes at 180C (350F).

Meanwhile, make up the sauce ...

Again, chopped onion, blended, a carton of chopped tomatoes, sea salt, black pepper, wild garlic and a good glass of red wine ... a Milanese Sangiovese in my case.

Simmer for the remainder of the cooking time.

Ready to eat?

Spoon a little sauce into a bowl and place a couple of meatballs on top, more sauce over, olives alongside, more cheese over and garnish with parsley.