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Baked veal and sage meatballs with soft polenta

From: www.gourmettraveller.com.au SERVES 4

50 ml olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves
400 gm canned cherry tomatoes
250 ml (1 cup) tomato passata
250 gm each minced veal and minced pork
40 gm finely grated Pecorino Romano, plus extra to serve
20 gm fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tbsp finely chopped sage, plus extra to serve
2 tsp each finely chopped thyme and oregano
500 ml (2 cups) milk
180 gm instant polenta
30 gm butter, coarsely chopped
30 gm Pecorino Romano, finely grated

Preheat oven to 180C. Heat half the oil in a large deep-sided ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat, add onion and half the garlic, stir occasionally until tender (3-4 minutes), add cherry tomatoes and passata and bring to the simmer.

Combine veal, pork, pecorino, breadcrumbs, herbs and remaining garlic in a bowl, season to taste, mix well with your hands and roll into 2cm-diameter balls. Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan, add meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over (1-2 minutes). Add to tomato sauce, transfer to oven and bake until tender (10-12 minutes).

Meanwhile, for soft polenta, bring milk and 600ml water to the boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually add polenta while whisking continuously until thick (2-3 minutes). Add butter and pecorino, season generously to taste and whisk to combine.

Serve polenta, meatballs and sauce hot, scattered with extra pecorino and sage.