MEATBALLS

• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons milk or cream
• 2 tablespoons Telegraph Hill Mānuka Smoke Infused Balsamic
• Drizzle
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons oregano leaves, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼–½ teaspoon chilli flakes, optional
• 400 grams lamb mince
• 80 grams streaky bacon, finely chopped

TOMATO SUGO

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• Sea salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons Telegraph Hill Mānuka Smoke Infused Balsamic Drizzle
• 400ml tomato passata
• 1 cup canned cherry tomatoes, well drained
  
  

TO COOK AND SERVE

• 1 ball fresh mozzarella in whey, drained
• 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
• 6 small sprigs oregano, optional
• Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.

SUGO: Heat the oil in a large pot, add the onion, garlic and bay leaves, season with salt and pepper then cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often until soft. Stir in the tomato paste and sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Add the balsamic, passata and cherry tomatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

MEATBALLS: Whisk the egg, milk or cream and the balsamic drizzle together in a large bowl then stir in the all the remaining ingredients except the lamb and bacon. Leave for 10 minutes then add the lamb and bacon and combine well. Hands are good for this. Scoop out ¼ cup portions of the meat and with lightly oiled hands, roll into meatballs. You should get about 8.

TO COOK: Put the tomato sugo into a 4–5 cup-capacity baking dish and gently nestle the raw meatballs into the tomato sauce, spooning a little over each one. Top with ripped mozzarella and parmesan then bake for about 30 minutes or until the meatballs are fully cooked. Heat a little oil in a small pot and fry the oregano leaves until crisp. Scatter over the meatballs to serve. SERVES 2–3.