Meatballs in Black Truffle Sauce Recipe

These flavoursome meatballs are perfect to share with friends and family as a tapas style sharing starter. The flavour of the truffle is really intense and gives the whole thing a really earth kick - delicious!

HOW TO MAKE MEATBALLS IN BLACK TRUFFLE SAUCE

SPANISH MADE SIMPLE by Omar Allibhoy (Quadrille, £20.00) Photography: Martin Poole

Ingredients

• 2 slices white bread (crusts removed), broken into pieces
• 140ml ( ⅔ cup) whole milk
• 500g (2 ¼ cups) finely minced (ground) beef (or a mixture of meats, such as pork, chicken or turkey)
• 100g ( ½ cup) meat pate
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• plain (all-purpose) flour, for dusting
• olive oil, for frying

For the truffle sauce:

• 25g butter
• A drizzle of olive oil
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 75g button or oyster mushrooms, finely chopped
• 25g plain flour
• 60ml white wine
• 1/2 litre beef, chicken or vegetable stock
• 1tsp salt
• 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
• 100ml double cream
• 2 black truffles

Method

1. Place the bread in a bowl and pour over the milk. Set aside to soak.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the meat and the pate. Add the soaked bread and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix until smooth and well combined. Form meatballs by rolling walnut-sized pieces of the mixture between your hands. They should be about 30g (1oz) each. Dust the meatballs in flour. Heat some oil in a shallow pan over a medium-high heat and fry the meatballs just until they are golden. Do not overcook at this stage as we are going to finish them in the sauce. Set aside.
3. To make the sauce, heat the butter and olive oil in a pan over a medium-low heat and add the finely chopped spring onions, carrot and mushrooms. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion is transparent. Reduce the temperature to low and add the flour to the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon to make a roux. Cook for about 4 minutes and then add the wine, continuing to stir until you get a paste and the alcohol has evaporated, then add the stock with the salt and rosemary. Keep stirring and cooking until the sauce thickens, then add the cream, stirring so that the mixture doesn’t split or curdle.
   
4. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes.
   
5. Grate the truffles into the sauce and serve immediately as the truffles lose their aroma quickly.