Le Migliori Polpette di Tonno (The Best Tuna Meatballs) | Jamie Oliver

I put Jamie Oliver's ball in my mouth and they were de-lic-ious. All kidding aside, make this recipe. It was so so so good. I actually can't wait for the summer so that I can take just the tuna part of the recipe and make tuna burgers out of it, grill them, and serve it with a nice dry rose wine. I mean, I want summer to come for other reasons, including I'm sick of having a Raymaud's attack every day, I'm sick of getting up in the dark and leaving work in the dark, I'm sick of not having fresh veggies in the backyard, I'm sick sick sick sick sick of winter. Chris would tell me to shush because he's just not ready to be done skiing, but I'm ready, I'm more than ready, old man winter can blow me. 

Ok, back to the recipe; it's so good. The only thing I would say is that you have to double the sauce recipe. The sauce is great, use the good plum tomatoes, spend a little extra on the Italian kind, but make a double batch of the sauce otherwise the pasta is just a little dry.

I've never made a Jamie Oliver recipe before. This recipe is making me very curious about him and his other recipes. Do you have any Jamie Oliver recipes that you enjoy making?

Ingredients:

SAUCE

Olive Oil

1 small onion finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 tsp dried oregano

2 (14oz) can good quality plum tomatoes

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

red wine vinegar

small bunch flat leaf parsley finely chopped

TUNA BALLS

14 oz tuna steak

olive oil

2 oz pine nuts

1 tsp ground cinnamon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

handful fresh flat leaf parsley chopped

1 3/4 c stale bread crumbs

2 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

zest and juice of 1 lemon

First make your sauce. Place a large pan on the heat, add a good glug of olive oil, your onion and garlic, and fry slowly for 10 or so minutes, until soft. Add your oregano, the tomatoes, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or so, then blend until smooth. Taste, it might need a tiny swig of red wine vinegar or some extra seasoning. 

While the tomatoes are simmering, chop the tuna up into 1-inch dice. Pour a good couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a large frying pan and place on the heat. Add the tuna to the pan with the pinenuts and cinnamon. Season lightly with salt and pepper and fry for a minute or so to cook the tuna on all sides and toast the pinenuts. Remove from the heat and put the mixture into a bowl. Allow to cool down for 5 minutes, then add the oregano, parsley, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, lemon zest, and juice to the bowl. Using your hands, really scrunch and mix the flavors into the tuna, then divide the mixture and squeeze it into meatballs slightly smaller than a golf ball. If you dip one of your hands in water while shaping, you’ll get a nice smooth surface on the meatball. If the mixture’s very sticky, add a few more breadcrumbs. Keep the meatballs around the same size and place them on an oiled tray, then put them in the fridge for an hour to let them rest.

Put the pan you fried the tuna in back on the heat with a little olive oil. Add your meatballs to the pan and jiggle them about until they’re golden brown all over. You might want to do them in batches- when they’re done, add them to the tomato sauce, divide between your plates, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and drizzle with good olive oil. Great served with spaghetti or linguine.

Rating = So Damn Good

Let me know if any of you end up making this.