Fennel and pork meatballs with gremolata

Name: Fennel and pork meatballs with gremolata
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 small onion, grated; 500g lean pork mince; 125g fresh breadcrumbs; 1 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 egg; olive oil, for frying; butter; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 3 bay leaves; 300ml white wine; 200ml strong chicken stock; 100ml double cream; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 300g fregola or giant couscous; a small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 1 lemon, zested; 1 clove garlic, chopped

Preparation and cooking time
- Total time1 hr
Easy
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 small onion, grated
500g lean pork mince
125g fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano
1 egg
olive oil, for frying
butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 bay leaves
300ml white wine
200ml strong chicken stock
100ml double cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
300g fregola or giant couscous

Gremolata

a small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 lemon, zested
1 clove garlic, chopped

Method

STEP 1
Put half the onion, all of the pork mince, breadcrumbs, fennel seeds, oregano and egg in a bowl with plenty of seasoning.
STEP 2
Mix everything with your hands really well, then shape into 20 meatballs. Heat 1 tbsp oil in an ovenproof frying pan and brown the meatballs in batches, adding more oil as you need to – the meatballs should be almost cooked through. Once brown, scoop out of the pan onto a plate.
STEP 3
Add the rest of the onion to the pan with another tbsp of olive oil and a knob of butter. Fry gently until soft, then add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes more. Add the bay leaves and white wine and simmer until the wine has reduced by half. Add the meatballs back to the pan, along with the chicken stock, cream and mustard and simmer for 5 minutes, turning the meatballs halfway through.
STEP 4
Meanwhile, mix the gremolata ingredients. Cook the fregola until just tender, then toss with a knob of butter and season. Serve
the meatballs with the fregola and a sprinkling of gremolata.