Ingredients

Method

For the meatballs:
• 2 slices white bread, crusts removed
• ½ cup milk
• 500 g Woolworths Wagyu beef mince
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 50 g Parmesan, grated
• 1 free-range egg
• 2 T Italian parsley, chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• flour, for dusting
• olive oil, for frying
For the tomato sauce:
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 T tomato paste
• ½ cup white wine
• 400 g can Woolworths diced tomatoes
For the battered brinjals:
• 100 g flour
• 1 free-range egg
• ½ cup cold sparkling water
• salt, to taste
• 2 brinjals, sliced into rounds
• vegetable oil, for frying
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 400 g pappardelle(or any pasta of your choice), cooked al dente, for serving

Method

Ingredients

1. To make the meatballs, soak the bread in the milk until soft, then mash using a fork. Mix the bread with the mince, garlic, Parmesan, egg, parsley and seasoning. Roll into small balls, then dust in flour.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the meatballs in batches until golden. Set aside.

3. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion, garlic and bay leaf and cook until soft, then stir in tomato paste.

4. Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce by half. Add the tomatoes, season and simmer for 25–30 minutes. Add the meatballs and cook for a further 10–15 minutes.

5 To make the brinjals, whisk the flour, egg and sparkling water until smooth. Season with salt. Dip the brinjal slices into the batter and shallow-fry until crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Drizzle the brinjals with balsamic vinegar and olive oil just before serving. 6 Serve the meatballs and sauce with the pasta, and the brinjals on the side.

Cook’s note: The brinjals can be fried in advance – gently warm in the oven before serving.

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Photographer: Myburgh du Plessis
Recipes and production: Abigail Donnelly
Food assistant: Jacqui Burgess and Bianca Jones