Beef & Pork Ricotta Meatballs with Parmesan Polenta and Cavolo Nero

Meatballs of any kind will always be one of my favourite meals. Just sheer, unadulterated comfort which never fails to brighten a cold, miserable night. I make mine with high quality beef mince and pork sausage meat for extra flavour, while plenty of ricotta and parmesan cheese keeps them ridiculously light, fluffy but with a salty umami depth. I always make a big batch to last us a few meals and also to keep some back in the freezer for emergencies. I served these with a ridiculously tasty creamy, polenta mash with lots of parmesan and some in-season crunch stir fried cavolo nero. They also work just as well stirred through some spaghetti or any other type of pasta garnished with yep, more parmesan and some fresh parsley.

(Serves 9 - £1.68 per portion)
1. For the meatball tomato sauce, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large casserole dish over a medium heat and add 2 large chopped onions, 2 carrots chopped into 1cm dice and 2 stalks of celery chopped into 1cm dice. Fry until soft and caramelised (this can take up to 10 mins). Add 4 crushed garlic cloves, 8 sprigs of fresh oregano which have been finely chopped, 1 tbsp chopped rosemary, 1 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tbsp fennel seeds, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Stir well, add 200ml red wine and simmer until almost no liquid remains before adding a can of chopped tomatoes, 500g passata, 500ml chicken stock and a parmesan rind if you have one. Stir and add 1 tsp sugar. Season, put a lid on and leave to simmer while you make the meatballs.
2. For the meatballs, add 500g of British beef mince to a large bowl with 500g good quality pork sausage meat. Add 200g freshly made breadcrumbs (I just whizzed up a few slices of seeded bread in the processor), with 2 cloves of crushed garlic, a finely chopped onion, 500g ricotta, 100g grated parmesan, 40g finely chopped parsley and 2 beaten eggs. Season well with salt and plenty of black pepper and mix together with your hands before shaping into balls.
3. Fry the meatballs in a large nonstick frying pan over a medium high heat until browned on both sides then place into the tomato sauce. Keep the lid off and leave to simmer and reduce slightly over a low heat for 30 mins (or longer if you want the sauce more reduced).
4. For the polenta (this is enough to serve 4), fill a large saucepan with 600mls of chicken stock and once boiling, whisk in 75g polenta. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for 20-25 mins, stirring every few mins to check it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once it is cooked, stir in 30g grated parmesan and a large knob of butter. Taste and season.
5. Heat a wok or large frying pan over a high heat and add your chopped cavolo nero. Season well and fry for a few mins until slightly charred.
6. Serve the meatballs in large bowls with the polenta, cavolo nero and plenty of grated parmesan and chopped parsley on top.