Meatballs in Puttanesca sauce topped of with Dukkah!

Total time, about 45 minutes  |  Serves 4 (6 meatballs each)

Fry the meatballs until browned but not cooked through.
Do not drain the fat.

For the meatballs:

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp chilli flakes

1/4 cup onion, chopped fine

1 egg

salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil for frying

Dukkah for topping

For the Puttanesca sauce:

1/2 medium onion, chopped fine

5 large garlic cloves

1 cup pitted, chopped Kalamata olives

1/2 cup red wine

1/4 cup capers

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp anchovy sauce

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped

Fry the onion, garlic and olives for a short time.

Make the meatballs by combining all the ingredients except for the oil in a dish and kneading well until the mixture starts to look fairly smooth. This should take about 3 minutes with your hand.

Wet your hands and roll the meat into 24 equal sized balls. Heat the olive oil in a deep sauté pan and fry the balls until browned on all sides. They do not have to be cooked through. They simmer in the sauce.

Once browned remove them to a pan.

Add the onions, garlic and chopped olives. Pour in the red wine and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the olive mixture cook until the wine has evaporated.

Simmer the sauce and meatballs together until the sauce reduces.

Add the tomatoes, capers, chilli flakes and anchovy sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the meatballs to the sauce and let cook until the sauce is reduced, about another 15 minutes. Stir often to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Turn the heat off under the meatballs and stir in the parsley.

To serve, plate the six meatballs and the puttanesca sauce on top. Grate cheese on top and sprinkle with more pepper if desired. Top of with a generous helping of dukkah!