 |
The first time I ever heard about a “Meatball Sub” was when I was about 14/15. I was watching one of my all-time favourite tv programs, FRIENDS and Joey bought a Meatball sub to eat in the back of a car. He was so infatuated with this meatball sub and didn’t even want Chandler to smell it as he was “stealing taste particles”. Any sandwich that makes a man complain about people stealing taste particles is a sandwich I want…now!
So over the weekend I had no idea what to serve for lunch and as I was strolling through the supermarket, saw the most delectable, fresh mini baguettes. Crusty on the outside and soft and doughy in the centre, (yes I broke one open, the bakery staff know me very well by know) I knew I wanted to create something around the bread. This however isn’t knew for me as I am in a complete sandwich/burger phase right now.
I grabbed a few of the rolls and set off to find something to put inside them. I thought of making Boerewors rolls with a spicy tomato relish, but then spotted the lean beef mince (ground beef) and as I’m also known for loving a good meatball, thought it would be a great way to make my own version of the famous meatball sub.
I wanted the meatballs to be succulent and juicy and so I used the same meatball recipe I used for last week’s 3-meat & ricotta meatballs except that I only used beef. For the relish I simply fried onions and garlic and added a tin of chopped tomatoes and flavourings and allowed to simmer until thick and reduced.
We were lucky to have a beautiful sunny and warm day on Sunday and so I served the Meatball subs, pool-side with some cold beers. Perfection!
Click here for more meatball recipes
Serves 4
for the meatballs
500g (17.64 ounces) lean beef mince
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
spicy tomato relish
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tin chopped/cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1-2 tsp dried chilli flakes (depending on the amount of heat you want)
1 tbsp sugar
salt & pepper to taste
to serve
fresh rolls, I used mini baguettes
mature cheddar/mozzarella, sliced
- In a frying pan, fry the red onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil, until soft and translucent. When cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the meats, cooked onions, bread crumbs, parsley, ricotta, spices, salt & pepper and mix well. To make sure the seasoning is correct, fry a teaspoon of the mixture in the same pan you fried the onions and taste. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
- With wet hands, form golf ball-sized meatballs and place on a tray lined with clingfilm/tin foil. When all the meatballs have been formed, place the tray in the fridge and allow the meatballs to rest for 20-30 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°c.
- Place the chilled meatballs on a greased baking tray and place in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through but still juicy.
- In the meantime, get started on the sauce. In a medium saucepan, fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft & translucent.
- Add the tomatoes, Balsamic vinegar, chilli flakes, sugar and season to taste.
- Allow to simmer and reduce until the sauce has thickened.
- To serve, cut the rolls open, but not all the way through. Place the sliced cheese on the bread followed by a few meatballs. Spoon over the tomato relish and serve immediately.
Related Posts :
Tags: marinara sauce, meatball recipe, meatball sandwich, meatball sub, Meatball subs with spicy tomato relish, Sandwich, spicy tomato relish, tomato relish, tomato sauce
Post By Alida Ryder
