Name: Meatballs in tomato sauce
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 800 g Mixed Ground Meat; 1 un Egg; 2 fatias Sliced bread; 50 ml Milk; 2 un Onion; 3 dentes Garlic; 2 un Tomato; 100 g Tomato passata; 40 ml Olive Oil; 1 folha Bay Leaf; 2 c/ch Salt; 1 c/ch Black Pepper

Method

Soak the two bread slices in the 50 ml of milk for 5 minutes and break them up. Chop the onions and garlic. Mix the mince with the egg, soaked bread and milk, one onion, one garlic clove, and half the salt and pepper. Shape about 20 meatballs, 4 cm across.
Heat the olive oil in a wide saucepan and brown the meatballs in two batches, for 6 to 8 minutes in total. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, soften the other onion, the remaining two garlic cloves, the chopped tomatoes and bay leaf over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add the tomato pulp, 250 ml of water and the reserved salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Return the meatballs, partially cover and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes until their centres reach 71 °C. Remove the bay leaf and serve with the sauce.