3. Wild Meatball
Whilst home alone as a shy 15 year-old I opened the front door after hearing the doorbell. Standing there was a tall, tanned and handsome boy. He was holding flowers - they must be for me I thought! Rather than saying “hello”, “hi” or make any noise at all I just stood frozen at the door. I felt the butterflies in my stomach with my mouth wide open but still no words appearing. This must be it, he’s going to whip me off my feet and we’re going to run into the sunlit distance together.
In reality…the flowers were an apology to my mum for projectile vomiting 8 pints of beer and numerous Doctor Pepper cocktails hopelessly far away from the toilet on New Year’s Eve. Not quite the romantic fairy tale ending I’d hoped for…
Years later the doorbell rung. Was this Karma visiting to finish the fairy tale ending I’d been searching for ever since? Sadly not. There was no handsome man at the door but a mysterious bag of greenery on the step.
It was a delicious bundle of wild garlic left by another of Toby’s pals. There were no handsome boys to gawk at but instead we made an incredible sandwich. If you have any voids in life you’re best filling it with food.
P.S To Toby’s good looking mate (you know who are) DM me if interested.
Ingredients
Serves 2Baguette
500g strong white bread flour
10g salt
10g action fast yeast
370ml cool water
Tbsp sesame seeds
Filling
400g pork sausages
1 tbsp
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
3/4 tsp fennel seeds, ground in pestle and mortar
1 handful of wild garlic or 1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
150ml dry white wine
150ml double cream
150ml chicken stock
50g parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Method
Bread
1) Place the flour, salt and yeast into a bowl (don’t put the yeast directly onto the yeast). Add three quarters of the water and bring the dough together with your hands or with a free standing mixer with a dough hook, on low. Slowly add the remaining water and continue to mix for 10 minutes until the dough is elastic and glossy.
2) Lightly oil a tray, and place the dough onto the tray. Cover the dough with a tea towel lightly placed cling film. Leave for an hour or until it has doubled in size.
4) Lightly dust a surface with flour and carefully tip the dough onto the surface. The dough will still be slightly wet. Divide the dough into 4 being careful not to knock the air out.
5) Shape and roll each piece into a long stick around 28 cm long, 6cm thick.
6) Lightly cover 2 tea towels with flour, and place two baguettes onto each tea towel. Form a pleat in-between the two baguettes with the tea towel to act as a divider. Cover the baguettes with another tea towel or lightly placed cling film. Leave them for one hour to prove, until it has doubled in size and springs back quickly when you poke it.
7) Preheat the over to 240C/220C Fan/Gas mark 9. Lay the baguettes onto a large roasting tin and make 4 slashes diagonally along the dough with a sharp knife.
8) Wash each baguette with egg white, and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Leave to cool on wire rack.
Wild meatball filling
1) Remove the casing from the sausages, and shape the meat into balls the size of golf balls. Place the balls into a large pan with a small swig of olive oil. Cook on a medium heat for around 10 minutes, as the fat renders and the balls are nicely browned.
2) Add the onion, celery, fennel seeds, chilli and garlic and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
3) Pour in the wine and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the cream and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper and leave it to simmer gently for 20-30 minutes. The sauce should be thick and creamy.
