Ingredients

• 250g/9oz beef mince
• 1 garlic clove
• crushed
• ½ onion
• finely chopped
• 1 free-range egg
• lightly beaten
• ½tsp chilli powder
• flour
• for dredging
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ onion
• finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• crushed
• 1 romero pepper
• seeds removed
• chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 150ml/¼ pint white wine
• 200g/7oz basmati rice
• washed
• handful chopped fresh parsley
• handful chopped fresh dill
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

• For the meatballs
• mix together the beef mince
• garlic
• onion
• egg and chilli powder in a bowl.
• With wet hands
• shape the mixture into 4-5 golfball-sized balls and dredge in flour.
• For the sauce
• heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sweat the onion until soft but not coloured.
• Add the garlic and the romero pepper and fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Cook to reduce the volume of wine by half.
• Add the meatballs
• cover and cook for 15 minutes
• turning the meatballs occasionally in the sauce
• until cooked through.
• For the rice
• place the rice in a saucepan and cover with 2½cm/1in cold water. Bring slowly up to the boil.
• Once the rice is boiling
• stir once
• turn the heat to very low and cover with a tight fitting lid for 10 minutes
• or until all the water is absorbed and the rice cooked through.
• When the rice is cooked
• stir through the herbs and season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Rub the oil over the inside of a small Pyrex bowl. Press the rice into the bowl
• then tip out onto a serving plate.
• To serve
• arrange the meatballs around the rice and pour over the sauce.