Pork meatballs with vegetables and cannellini beans

Tam West

This freezes and reheats well but add some water as the beans thicken the sauce.

Ingredients

¾ cup	Fresh breadcrumbs, made by whizzing torn up bread in a blender or food processor
¼ cup	Dry white wine
500 g	Minced pork (Main)
1 Tbsp	Finely chopped rosemary leaves
½ tsp	Salt
3 large	Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp	Sugar
¼ cup	Kalamata olives, chopped and pitted
½	Preserved lemons, use peel only, finely diced (or use the zest of a fresh lemon) (Main)
1 sprinkle	Flour, for dusting
8 Tbsp	Extra virgin olive oil
1	Onion, finely chopped
2	Carrots, 300g, peeled and diced 1cm
2 sticks	Celery, thinly sliced
500 ml	Chicken stock
2 cans	Cannellini beans, 400g each, drained (Main)
½ cup	Frozen peas, thawed
120 g	Baby spinach, wilted in boiling water, cooled under cold water, squeezed dry, lumps teased out

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 200C.
2. Place the breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl and add the wine. Mix well so the crumbs soak up the wine. Add the pork, rosemary, salt, garlic, sugar, olives and preserved lemon or zest. Mix well with clean hands and form into 18 golf ball-sized, slightly flattened meatballs. (I weigh it and divide by 18 and make one to see the size I am aiming at.) Dust the meatballs lightly with flour.
3. Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a wide metal casserole or deep frying pan over moderate heat. Fry the meatballs on each side until lightly browned. Remove to a plate.
4. Pour off used oil and replace with the remaining 4 tablespoons. Add the onion, carrot and celery and fry gently without browning for 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft.
5. Add the reserved meatballs, the stock and beans. Mix well, boil, cover and place in the oven for 40 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, stir in the peas and spinach, taste, season, let stand five minutes then serve. Good with crusty sourdough bread.

More of Ray's autumn casseroles

• Tofu braised with greens
• Spicy chicken with tomatoes and green beans