Meatballs alla Norma

so the food is amazing ... I discovered that finding polenta and aubergine is very difficult in a supermarket Asda or Tesco. The Tesco I found only Aubergine pesto, who uses Aubergine pesto? It interests me. the Market with oriental food I found only 1.5 kg polenta .... Really? .... this recipe by Jamie Oliver was enough 500 g my hope has been in health food stores and there I found polenta 500 g 1.20 pounds. Looking for polenta was worth because the end result is very tasty ...  

Serves 4

total time: 1 hour

1 large aubergine

15g bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley 

400g minced beef 

1tablespoon fennel seeds

olive oil

1 clove of garlic

2 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce 

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

400g tin of chooped tomatoes

200g quick- cook polenta

1 knob of unsalted butter

30g Parmesan cheese

Dice the aubergine into 1cm cubes, then season well with salt and leave for 15 minutes. Meanwhile finely chop the parsley ( stalks and all), reserving a few leaves for garnish, and roll into balls. Scatter the fennel seeds on a plate and roll the meatballs in them so they stick nicely, then pop into the fridge to firm up until needed. 

Take handfuls of  the aubergine and squeeze out the excess salty liquid, then put into a pan on a medium heat with a lug of oil to cook for 10 minutes, or until golden, stirring occasionally. squash in the garlic through a garlic crusher, stir in the sweet chilli sauce and balsamic, then tip in the tomatoes and a splash of water. Simmer for around 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Meanwhile, brown the meatballs in a separate pan on a medium heat with a lug of oil for about 10 minutes, or until golden all over and cooked through. Cook the polenta according to packet instructions until your are got a good oozy consistency, adding the butter and grating of Parmesan at the end. Season the sauce to perfection, then toss the meatballs through it and serve on top of the polenta, with the reserved parsley leaves scattered over and an extra grating of Parmesan, if you like.