Meatball heros

I use canned red peppers for this because they’re skinless, nice and soft and you can chop them very easily.

500g minced pork
500g minced beef
60g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 canned red pepper, drained and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp each chopped parsley and celery leaves
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
Salt and pepper
1 small egg, beaten
2 tbsp olive oil
500ml homemade tomato sauce
6 small ciabatta
12 slices mozzarella cheese

Put the first nine ingredients into a large bowl, mix well, season well with salt and pepper and add enough of the beaten egg to bind it all together. Divide the mixture into twelve pieces and shape them into ovals.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Heat the oil in a large oven-proof frying pan and fry the meatballs, turning them until they are well browned, then transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 20 minutes. While the meatballs are cooking, heat the tomato sauce.

Preheat the grill. Cut the ciabatta rolls in half and pull out and discard some of the soft insides. Put two meatballs into the bottom half of each roll, cover with two tablespoons of tomato sauce, then top with two slices of cheese and grill until the cheese melts. Put the tops back on the rolls and serve hot with coleslaw and fries. (Makes six burgers)