Meatballs with Veal From Tony Frankin’s Farm

meatballs

On a cold winters night three years ago a friend of ours was coming to visit. She was arriving late, so I had time to cook. I carefully began to prepare a rich tomato sauce packed with vegetables. I remembered another friend telling me to thicken a sauce with boiled carrots, so that is what I proceeded to do. I made a rich sauce packed with vegetables, in particular carrot, onion, celery & garlic.

I remembered fondly a dish I had once tried as leftovers, an interpretation of Kylie Kwong’s, roast duck smothered in star anise, cinnamon and orange. I still had time so I began to grate orange zest, pound cinnamon quills & star anise and mash garlic into the veal mince I had received from Tony Frankin’s organic farm on Comboyne Mountain. I seasoned the mince, formed the meatballs and began to pop them into the sauce one by one.

Our friend was late, the meatballs were already cooked and sitting on the bench in my favorite pot. As she arrived she commented on the aroma in the house which we barely noticed as we had been surrounded by it for several hours. We sat around the kitchen bench on stools, as our whole family does every night and scooped meatball after meatball. We dipped crusty sourdough bread spread thickly with French butter. We drank a nice bottle of red or so, whilst talking the night away. That was the best meal of my life.

Ever since, at the beginning of winter we always share a vealer with Tony Frankin, we mince everything but the rump and fillet. It makes the cleanest mince you have ever seen. Then for the rest of winter we try to keep up with the supply of meatballs, and whenever Tony has a spare beast to share we buy it and serve it in preference to any other meat.

Meatball Night

Wednesday 5^th May 5pm – 9pm

Bring your family, it is a very warm and casual affair.   4961 2020 for reservations

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