November 15, 2017
This week I’m really excited to share a recipe from our very own herb garden! I almost called it a veggie garden, but given that it is 90% herbs, and one tomato bush that seems intent on being the next Jack and the Beanstalk (seriously, it just keeps growing), I guess it is more of a herb garden. I’m so in love with it, especially because at my last two places my attempts to grow herbs have been unsuccessful. In Melbourne it was too cold and the herbs ended up dying from the inconsistent weather, and at our last apartment the herbs got absolutely blasted by sun and so never grew the way they were meant to.
Luckily in our new apartment it is a case of third time lucky, because one of our balconies gets the perfect amount of sun and so our herbs are going crazy! I have honestly never seen herbs grow so quickly, especially the mint and basil! It means that we can finally start using our herbs without having to worry about killing the whole plant in one meal! So I took the opportunity last week to start incorporating fresh herbs into my cooking, and I made a recipe that was so good I thought I should share it with you all.
There really is nothing like cooking with fresh herbs. I love the aroma that you get when you chop them up, and I feel like they really add a lot more extra flavour over their dried counterparts. I am only just discovering new ways to incorporate them as well, and so open to ideas from everyone!
I decided this week to try my hand at some italian style pork meatballs, as I wanted something I could easily take for lunches by popping into salads. The great thing about meatballs is that they are an easy way to get your protein in, but also very versatile, as you can serve them as a salad, add them to a tomato based sauce, or just serve with some roasted vegetables. These ones were seriously good, and I did the prep work in the morning so after work it was just a matter of frying them up and chopping up a salad, and you had a meal on the table!
- 500 grams pork mince
- 1 brown onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large egg
- 1 handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried chili flakes (optional)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tsp olive oil
-
In a medium sized bowl, add the pork mince, onion, garlic, chopped basil, chopped parsley, egg, chili flakes and salt and pepper. Use your hands to combine, ensuring all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
-
Get a large container and set next to the bowl. Using your hands, roll small balls of the meatball mixture, about a tablespoon each. Use your fingers to smooth the meatballs and set in the container.
-
Repeat until no more mixture is left, and put the meatballs in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
-
When ready to cook, heat half the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Place some of the meatballs in the pan to cook, allowing a bit of space between each. Turn using tongs to ensure the meatballs are cooked through, and browned on the outside. Cook in batches, using the remaining olive oil as required.
-
Serve with salad, roasted vegetables or over the top of your favourite pasta sauce.
So there you have it – I told you it was simple! The flavour of the meatballs really relies on the fresh herbs, which I really liked. The flavours were simple but absolutely delicious, and I think the fresh herbs really lent themselves to the flavours of the pork. I absolutely loved these meatballs on their own, but my partner added a bit of tomato relish to take them to the next level which I would also highly recommend. We just had them with a simple italian salad which took a couple of minutes to whip up!
Talk about weeknight meal! I feel like these are perfect for a busy schedule, as even if you can’t prep them before work, it is just as easy to do it when you get home as the cooking itself really doesn’t take any time. If you wanted to really meal prep as well, you could do it at the start of the week and keep the uncooked meatballs in the fridge, or even freeze them for another time! I have frozen some of the meatballs for when I need them for lunches, so I always have something healthy ready to go when I need it.
I love how quick and easy this meal is to make, but how easily it also lends itself to other meals. You can have them for dinner but then easily put them in a salad for lunch and still feel like you are not just eating last night’s leftovers. They are a really great option if you are trying to eat healthy, but don’t have a lot of time to get into the kitchen and cook something complicated!
Do you have any recipes that work well with fresh herbs? I’d love to hear them!
Until next time, happy eating!
Ella xx
