Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce on Parsnip Puree
Serves 2
Good meatballs depend on two things - the seasoning, and the browning of the meat. Getting as much colour into the meat as you can, right at the start, makes a world of difference to the finished meatball.
Ingredients
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 200g minced chicken
- 40g white breadcrumbs
- a lemon
- 3 stalks parsley
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 400g can crushed tomatoes
- 200ml chicken stock
Method
Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic, and put into a mixing bowl. Add the minced chicken and breadcrumbs. Grate the lemon and add the zest to the chicken, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze in the juice. Strip the leaves from the parsley stalks, coarsely chop them and stir into the mix and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
Make about 10 small balls of the mixture and shape them into a rough ball shape and place onto a floured baking tray. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan. Roll the meatballs in the flour and fry them until they are crispy and golden. Lower the heat and pour in the tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer for 6-8 minutes, season with salt and pepper then divide between two plates, serving them on top of the parsnip puree and spooning the pan juices over them.
Parsnip Puree
Ingredients
- 4 large parsnips, peeled and diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 600ml milk
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
In a saucepan, place the parsnips, bay leaves and enough milk to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes until the parsnips are tender. Strain the parsnips, reserving the milk but discarding the bay leaves. Put the parsnips into a food processor and blend until smooth, adding the butter and just enough milk to make a velvety purée. Season lightly.