Name: Polpete u toču s pireom
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 500 g minced beef; 250 g minced pork; 100 g stale white bread, crusts off, soaked in 150 ml milk; 1 egg; 1 small onion, grated; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 3 tbsp plain flour, for dusting; Salt and black pepper; 4 tbsp olive oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 1 carrot, finely diced; 1 clove garlic, minced; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 700 g passata or tinned peeled tomatoes, crushed; 150 ml red wine; 200 ml beef stock or water, plus more as needed; 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp sugar; 1 kg floury potatoes, peeled and quartered; 60 g butter; 150 ml warm milk; Salt, to taste

Ingredients

500 g minced beef

250 g minced pork

100 g stale white bread, crusts off, soaked in 150 ml milk

1 egg

1 small onion, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

3 tbsp plain flour, for dusting

Salt and black pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp tomato paste

700 g passata or tinned peeled tomatoes, crushed

150 ml red wine

200 ml beef stock or water, plus more as needed

1 bay leaf

1 tsp sugar

1 kg floury potatoes, peeled and quartered

60 g butter

150 ml warm milk

Salt, to taste

Method

Squeeze the soaked bread almost dry and tear it into a bowl. Add both minces, the egg, grated onion, garlic, parsley, a heaped teaspoon of salt, and plenty of pepper. Mix with your hands only until it comes together.

Rest the mixture in the fridge for 20 minutes, then fry a teaspoon of it in a little oil and taste for salt before shaping the rest.

Shape into 16–18 meatballs a little smaller than a golf ball and dust them lightly with flour.

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a wide heavy pan over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs on all sides in batches, about 5 minutes a batch. They do not need to cook through. Set them aside.

Lower the heat, add the rest of the oil, and cook the chopped onion and carrot with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes until soft and sweet. Add the garlic and tomato paste and fry for 2 minutes until the paste darkens.

Pour in the wine, scrape the pan, and let it reduce by half. Add the passata, stock, bay leaf, and sugar. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, until the toč no longer tastes raw.

Slide the meatballs back in with any resting juices. They should be about two-thirds submerged — top up with stock if not. Cover partly and simmer very gently for 25–30 minutes, turning them once, until the sauce coats a spoon.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water until a knife slides in easily, about 20 minutes. Drain well and mash while hot. Beat in the butter, then the warm milk, until smooth. Season with salt.

Take the meatballs off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and rest for 5 minutes. Adjust salt, pepper, and sugar in the toč. Serve the meatballs and sauce spooned over the potato puree.

Keep the simmer at a bare blip; a rolling boil splits the meatballs open. The puree should be loose enough to pool under the toč, not stiff — add a splash more warm milk if it sets up while the sauce finishes. Like most things in tomato, it is better reheated the next day.