Recipe: Tobie Puttock’s Sicilian veal meatballs grilled in lemon leaves

Serves: Approx 20 balls

Ingredients

• 50g fresh homemade breadcrumbs
• 50ml milk
• 250g-ground pork
• 250g-ground veal
• Good handful of freshly grated pecorino
• Zest of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds
• Small handful of freshly picked marjoram
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
•  40 small or 20 large lemon leaves

Method

Pop the breadcrumbs and the milk into a mixing bowl and allow to sit for a few moments.

While the breadcrumbs are soaking toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan for a minute or so or until you can smell the aromas. Remove right away and grind in a mortar and pestle, add the marjoram and the garlic along with a pinch of salt and grind to a paste.

Add the marjoram and garlic mixture to the bowl with the bread and now add the pork, veal, pecorino and the lemon zest and use your hands to mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.

Shape the mixture into patties the size of golf balls, flattening them slightly. Place a lemon leaf on each side of each pattie or if you are using larger leaves you can wrap one around both side of a pattie, you may need a toothpick to secure it.

Cook the meatballs over a pre-heated BBQ for a couple of minutes on each side.