Seeking a little knockout spice to liven up lunchtime? This punchy Mexican-inspired dish will have you swooning the best way possible.
Ingredients
Meatballs in spicy macha sauce
300g minced beef
300g minced pork
½ tsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
60g fresh breadcrumbs
2 large eggs (organic, if possible)
1 tbsp milk extra virgin olive oil
manchego or pecorino cheese, to serve
handful coriander leaves, to serve
For the spicy macha sauce
4 ripe tomatoes
1½ tsp of macha* paste
2 garlic cloves
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp sea salt
250ml chicken stock
Method
1. For the spicy sauce, place the tomatoes, macha paste, garlic, cumin, oregano and salt in a blender. Add the stock and process until quite smooth.
2. For the meatballs, place the beef, pork, cumin, garlic, salt and a grind of pepper in a bowl. Mix well, then stir in the breadcrumbs, eggs and milk. To check the seasoning, cook a small amount of mixture in a little olive oil and taste it. Form the mince mixture into small walnut-sized balls.
3. Heat a large frying pan with a splash of olive oil over a medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown gently for 2 minutes. Add the sauce and cook gently for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce starts to thicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until the sauce reduces to about half its original volume and coats the meatballs (about 5 minutes).
4. Spoon the meatballs onto a serving plate and grate the Manchego or pecorino over the top. Sprinkle with coriander leaves.
*Macha is available from fireworksfoods.com.au. Once you buy it, you'll use it on everything.
For another delicious, Mexican-inspired dish, try Neil Perry's king prawns in green salsa.