Ingredients
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
2 tbsp pine nuts, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
2 tsp ground fennel seed
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup ricotta
½ cup finely grated parmesan
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 egg
600g pork mince
Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp red wine vinegar
400g dried linguine
Extra shaved parmesan, to serve
Extra chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve
Method
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Heat ½ the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add onion and pine nuts and cook until onion just softens. Stir in garlic, parsley, rosemary and fennel and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
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Put onion mixture, breadcrumbs, ricotta, parmesan, zest, egg and pork in a large bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir until pork becomes sticky.
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Form 2 Tbsp of the mixture into a ball to make 1 meatball. Flatten slightly. Repeat with remaining mixture to make about 24 meatballs. Heat remaining oil in same pan over a medium heat. Add balls and cook until lightly browned. Add tomato, sugar and vinegar, then season. Cook for a further 10 minutes.
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Meanwhile, cook pasta following pack instructions. Drain well and stir into sauce. Serve with extra shaved parmesan and extra parsley.
