Baked meatballs with twice-cooked kawakawa kumara and peas

Peter Gordon's baked meatball recipe

Serves

8 - 10

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

This recipe comes from Homeland’s Community Day hosting Whangaparāoa Marae and takes the best that New Zealand has to offer, like homegrown New Zealand beef and kumara, and pairs them with budget-friendly pantry items like chickpeas and chilli. Homeland’s ethos of ‘for everyone, from everywhere’ shines through in the most delicious way.

Peter Gordon's baked meatballs and cheese with tomato chickpea stew is deceptively easy to make at home, but one taste and you’ll swear it came straight from the oven of a pro. Served alongside twice-cooked sesame kawakawa kumara and peas, this recipe comes from Homeland’s Community Day hosting Whangaparāoa Marae and takes the best that New Zealand has to offer, like homegrown New Zealand beef and kumara, and pairs them with budget friendly pantry items like chickpeas and chilli. Simple, colourful, and tasty, Homeland’s ethos of ‘for everyone, from everywhere’ shines through in the most delicious way.

Peter Gordon – Recipes from Homeland Community Days

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Ingredients

Baked Meatballs

1kg Quality Mark beef mince
or lamb
2 onions
peeled
1 heaped Tbsp fresh herbsi
think chopped rosemary, sage, or oregano
½ cup tomato sauce
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
10 garlic cloves
peeled and sliced
2 thumb sized fresh ginger
peeled and chopped/grated
¼ tsp chilli flakes
200g button mushrooms
sliced
1 large carrots
peeled and coarsely grated
2 x 400g canned chopped tomatoes
1 400g can chickpeas
drained
3 Tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup white flour
1 tsp kosher salt
150g tasty Cheddar cheese
grated

Kawakawa Kumara and Peas

6 small kūmarai
skins scrubbed
50g butter
2 kawakawa
shredded leaves
2 Tbsp sesame seedsi
200g green peas
frozen
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
15 leaves mint leaves
torn
½ spring onion
thinly sliced

Method

For the Meatballs

Grate one onion coarsely, squeeze out the juice and put in a large bowl – save the onion juice

Add the mince, herbs and tomato sauce

Roll the mixture into meatballs – they can be whatever size you want but I like mine the size of a table tennis ball

Place on a tray, cover, and put in the fridge to firm up while you make the sauce

Slice the remaining onion and fry in 1 tablespoon of oil with the garlic, ginger and chilli flakes till golden, stirring often and making sure it doesn’t burn

Add the mushrooms, carrot, tomatoes, chickpeas and soy sauce and bring to a boil then reduce to a rapid simmer

Cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, and taste for seasoning

We cooked our sauce in a pan that was able to fit in the oven – if this isn’t possible then once it’s ready tip into a deep sided baking dish

Mix the flour with 1 teaspoon salt and toss the meatballs in it to lightly coat, shake off any extra

Place a fry-pan on medium high heat and add the remaining oil

Cook the meatballs in two batches - add enough to sit easily in the pan, brown all over then place on the tomato stew while you cook the rest

Scatter the cheese over the meatballs

Bake till bubbling and golden, 20-30 minutes

For the Kumara and Peas

Line a roasting dish with baking-paper

Steam the kumara in a double boiler until well cooked – poke with a knife to test – there should be no resistance

When cool enough to handle, place on your board and flatten slightly using the palm of your hand or the back of a spatula then place in the roasting dish

Melt the butter over low heat with the kawakawa in a small pan then spoon over the kumara and sprinkle on the sesame seeds

Roast 15 minutes in the top of the oven then transfer to a platter

Boil the peas in lightly salted water 2 minutes and then drain

Toss the peas with the olive oil, mint and spring onion and scatter around the kumara on the platter