Vegetarian meatballs with a spicy prune and Tomato sauce
My mum always used to make the most delicious lamb and pork meatballs from a recipe out of an ancient Marks and Spencer's cookbook she had. Although these are not meat they remind me of home comforts and fond memories.
INGREDIENTS
Meatballs - Serves 4
300gm Silken Tofu
250gm Butternut squash
60gm Rice flour
1/2 Medium sized onion
1 tsp Herbs de Provence
1 tsp Paprika
1 Garlic Clove
2 tsp Gee or butter
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Group Pepper
Prune & Tomato spicy sauce
6 Tomatoes
1.5 tsp Fresh grated ginger
5 Prunes
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Fennel seeds
1/8 tsp Chilli Flakes
2 Cups of Thai sticky Rice or Rice Noodles
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce / Nam Pla (if pescatarian)
PREPARATION
Cut the butternut squash up into small cubes and boil in small saucepan until soft. Drain the water and add 2 tsp of gee or butter and mash the butter and squash together and then leave to cool.
Grate the tofu into a pyrex mixing bowl, adding the Paprika, Herbs de Provence, crushed garlic clove, salt and pepper and finely chopped onion.
To make the sauce, cut the tomatoes into cubes and place into another saucepan. Add the ginger, cumin and fennel seeds, chilli flakes and prunes and heat, until the tomatoes become soft, You may need to add a 1/2 cup of water or a little more. Simmer the ingredients for 5 minutes and then place in a blender or vitamix and mix until smooth. Place back into the saucepan and cover.
Return back to the meatball mixture and add the mashed butternut and rice flour into the bowl with the grated tofu and knead all the ingredients together with your hands until an even consistency. You will need an A4 size piece of baking paper or a non-stick baking sheet. Taking a tablespoon of mixture, with your hands then make into a ball. You should be able to make 20 balls from the mixture giving you five each.
COOKING
Place 2 cups of rice into a pan with 5 cups of hot water. Bring to the boil for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat and let the rice continue to cook in the hot water whilst you make the meatballs. Heat 1/2 cup of olive oil into a frying pan and when the oil is hot place the meatballs into the oil, turning each side when golden in colour (move the meatballs as little as possible or they will break up in the frying pan).This takes 5 - 7 minutes.
Drain the water from the rice, then add 1 tbsp of Nam Pla and mix in with rice and serve meatballs in centre adding a drizzle of tomato sauce lightly over the top. Additional vegetables can be added as a side dish, like chard or spinach.
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