Ever since I heard of the Blue Zones, I’ve wanted to go to Sardinia. This beautiful island region just seems to tick every box that would support my health goals. I feel like living there would automate all the habits I need to stay healthy forever. I mean, the food alone would make me want to eat live forever. Exhibit A: these Sardinian meatballs.
If we can’t live it, we can at least eat it. That’s basically the spirit behind Francesco Mattana’s gorgeous new cookbook Eat Like A Sardinian. It’s jammed with recipes that are every bit as tasty and moreish as these Sardinian meatballs (we’ve got an amaretti biscuit recipe coming up soon that will also make you swoon). This book is proof that eating well is easy when you have the tools. And eating well with others is basically the soul of life.
Give his meatball recipe a whirl and do let us know how quickly the family demolished them!
Another good recipe: A quick and tasty low carb salmon burger recipe
Sardinian Meatballs
Recipe and text from Eat Like A Sardinian by Francesco Mattana
Makes 4 serves
Takes about 40 mins (includes simmer time)
For the meatballs
500g minced beef
30g pecorino, grated
10g parsley, finely chopped
2 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 medium eggs
50g dried breadcrumbs
fine sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper
For the tomato sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
2 x 400g tins of peeled plum tomatoes
10g basil, leaves torn
1 bay leaf
extra virgin olive oil
To make the meatballs, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. With your hands, thoroughly squeeze the mixture together until it becomes nice and soft and everything is well combined. Cover and set aside.
Now make the tomato sauce. Put a drizzle of oil and the onion into a large frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion softens. Season with a generous pinch of salt and then add the plum tomatoes. Sir in the basil and bay leaf. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, shape the meatballs. Divide the mixture into roughly 35g pieces and shape into balls – you should have at least 20 in total.
After 10 minutes, use a wooden spoon or a fork to crush the tomatoes to create a smoother tomato sauce. If you like your tomato sauce to be even more velvety, you can remove and discard the bay leaf and blitz it with a hand-held blender.
Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. Remove the pan from the heat and let the meatballs sit and rest in the sauce for 5 minutes before serving.
Top tips
Make the meatballs half the size and cook them in the same way to create a great meatball sauce to serve with your favourite pasta.
Or, try them in a creamy lemon sauce: in a large frying pan, gently fry 1 finely chopped onion with a little olive oil until soft. Meanwhile, lightly coat the meatballs with a little flour, then dust off any excess flour and add them to the pan with the onions. Cook until the meatballs are golden brown, then add 200ml (scant 1 cup) vegetable stock, a touch of lemon zest to taste and the juice of 1 lemon. Cover and cook gently for 10–15 minutes until the sauce is creamy.
Images and text from Eat Like A Sardinian by Francesco Mattana, photography by Dave Brown. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00.
