Pea and Ricotta Baked Meatballs

A really fabulous summer alternative to a classic red sauce. Pea and ricotta make a lovely accompaniment to juicy little pork meatballs.

Serves 4

For the meatballs:

500g pork mince

½ small bunch of fresh parsley

½ onion

2 cloves of garlic

50g white breadcrumbs

1 egg

300g frozen petit pois

500g ricotta

A small bunch of basil

60g pecorino

125g mozzarella

1 lemon

salt, pepper and olive oil

1. Peel your onion, then grate it into a medium sized bowl. Do the same to your garlic. Add your breadcrumbs and give it a mix. Leave them to sit and hydrate in the onion’s moisture for 5 mins. Roughly chop all but a handful of your parsley.

2. Tip your pork mince, egg, chopped parsley, and 1 tsp of salt into your breadcrumb bowl. Add 20 twists of black pepper, then combine well with your hands to get it all mixed together.

3. Heat a frying pan over a medium high heat, and add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Get your meatballs in the pan, and brown them on all sides for a few minutes. They don’t need to be cooked through at this stage, so don’t worry too much about that.

4. Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Add your peas and cook them for 2 minutes, then strain them.

5. Add half your peas to a food processor with half your ricotta, 50g pecorino, the juice of a lemon, then whizz it to a smooth paste. Season this to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Whisk your remaining ricotta in a bowl with 2 tbsp of olive oil to form a smooth paste.

7. Take a 32cm x 25cm baking dish and drizzle it with olive oil. Spoon about ¾ of your pea mixture into the pan, then add your meatballs. Spoon over the rest of your pea mixture, and dollop on your whipped ricotta. Tear over your mozzarella, and grate over the remaining pecorino, then bake your meatballs for 15 minutes.

8. Sprinkle over your remaining parsley leaves, then serve it up with crusty bread and salad.