Belgian Fusion Meatballs In Tomato Sauce

Step 1: Heat some olive oil in a saucepan until hot. Then add the chopped shallots, half of the garlic and a bay leaf. Season with pepper and salt.

Step 2: Cook the shallot mixture under a lid until browned. Stir regularly. Then take the pan off the heat and let it cool.

Step 3: Pour the ground meat in a large bowl. Add the cooked shallots (remove the bay leaves) and egg.

Step 4: Knead the ground meat. Then add the panko (or breadcrumbs) and grated parmesan. Season with pepper and salt.

Step 5: Knead the ground meat well. Add extra pepper or salt to taste. Then make meatballs from the mixture. Mine were about 1 ½ oz (45 g). In the end, I had 30 meatballs.

Step 6: Coat the meatballs lightly with the flour. In a large casserole pour some olive oil and place it over high heat until hot. Then add the meatballs.

Step 7: Brown them on all sides for 6 minutes.

Step 8: Then remove them from the pan, keep the oil. Turn the heat lower and add the remaining bay leaves, rosemary, chopped onion, cloves, and the remaining garlic.

Step 9: Gently fry the onion for about 4 minutes. Then add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar.

Step 10: Stir well. Then add the red wine, balsamic vinegar and Worcester sauce. Season with pepper and salt.

Step 11: Bring the tomato sauce to a rolling boil and then turn the heat low. Simmer the sauce under a lid for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir regularly. Then blend or mix the sauce until very creamy.

Step 12: Check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste. If the sauce is too bitter or vinegary, add an extra pinch of sugar to reduce that flavor. Stir in the chopped herbs.

Step 13: Add the browned meatballs.

Step 14: Cover and cook for 10 minutes until the meatballs are warmed through. Then scoop the sauce and meatballs onto deep plates. Serve hot.