Pork Meatballs in a Wine, Cream and Fennel Sauce

 

I'm a big fan of pork these days and this one-dish-wonder served with quinoa/couscous just hits the spot - creamy and morish, but not too rich. The apple and the sage go beautifully with the pork mince and the fennel adds that little "something-something" to the sauce :)

Pork Meatballs in a White Wine, Cream and Fennel Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 Large Onion (roughly chopped)
15g Fresh Sage (leaves only, no stalks)
1/2 Apple (seeded, peeled and chopped)
400g Pork Mince
Salt and Pepper

1 Fennel Bulb (sliced and washed)
Olive oil

Sauce:
2/3 cup Rose/White Wine
1/2 cup Thick Cream/Double Cream
1 tsp Peach/Mango Chutney
Pinch Smoked Paprika

To serve:
Quinoa/Couscous
Steamed Broccoli/Green Beans
Chutney

Method:
Place the onion, sage and apple into a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Add the mince and a good grinding of salt and pepper and blitz until combined.
Wet your hands and shape 10-12 meatballs out of the mixture.
Fry the fennel  in a good glug of olive oil in a non-stick pan with a pinch of salt until softened and golden. Set aside.
Then add a little more olive oil to the pan and fry the meatballs for approx 4 minutes on med-high heat, turning often until just beginning to brown.
Add the fennel, wine, cream, chutney and smoked paprika. Stir and cover. Allow to simmer for about 3-4 minutes.
Remove the lid and reduce the sauce for a further 3 minutes or until slightly thickened
The meatballs should be just firm to the touch. (If you're worried about whether they're cooked through - cut one in half to check.)