I like adding unexpected extras to soup and these little meatballs go extremely well with almost any smooth soup from spinach to yesterday’s Butternut Squash Soup, turning it into more of a meal. I was using up a stray 250g bag of minced pork found in the freezer, making 24 little meatballs with the addition of an egg yolk, breadcrumbs softened in milk and masses of finely chopped marjoram and chives from the garden. If I’d had mint, I would have used that but parsley is another suitable alternative. I lightly whisked the egg white and slopped the meatballs in it, so they fried up with a pale, thin, golden halo. If scaling up this recipe, just increase the amount of breadcrumbs and milk in proportion; you won’t need another egg. The meatballs could also be served with pasta or dropped into a creamy béchamel as part of lasagna. Quantities are perfect for 4 soup ‘garnishes’ or would are only really sufficient for 2 proper portions.
Serves 2-4
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 15 min
4 tbsp breadcrumbs
5 tbsp milk
250g minced pork
1 egg
2 tbsp finely snipped chives and marjoram
Mix the breadcrumbs into the milk in a cup and leave for a few minutes for the milk to soak into the crumbs. Spread the pork out in a mixing bowl. Separate the egg, the yolk to the pork, the white to a second mixing bowl. Scatter herbs over the meat, adding blobs of milky crumbs. Season with salt and pepper then use a fork or your hands to mix then form into a ball. With wet fingers, pinch off sufficient mix to make 24 cherry tomato-size balls. Either chill, covered with a loose spread of clingfilm, until required or cook now by lightly whisking the egg white until fluffy. Drop the balls into the egg white, heat the oil in a trusted frying pan over a medium heat and when hot, quickly brown the balls, turning after a couple of minutes until golden and just cooked through. Yum (I think I’m going to make them again and eat them in a buttered fresh bread