Is there anything better than a juicy meatball?  These have been elevated to a whole new level using haloumi and chipotle.  This recipe can also be made using turkey, beef and chicken mince.

The sauce makes a great base also for pasta, shakshuka or even a parma.  Play around with it and add flavours that you like.  If you want to make this vegetarian, use black beans or lentils, but make sure you have plenty of sourdough to mop up all the last bits of the tomato sauce.

MEATBALLS

• 500g lamb mince
• grated lemon rind of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons of grated parmesan
• 125g diced haloumi cheese
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 onion, minced
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped mint
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning

TOMATO SAUCE

• 2 x 400 gram tins of diced tomatoes
• 1 onion finely diced
• 1 grated carrot
• 3 Portabello mushrooms finely diced
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chipotle chilli powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

METHOD

1. To make the meatballs – place the mince, onion, garlic, haloumi, herbs, parmesan, egg and spices into a large bowl and mix really well to combine.  Roll the mixture into golf ball sizes and refridgerate for about an hour until the mixture has firmed up.
2. To make the smokey chipotle sauce – heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large fry pan.  Add in the diced onion, carrot and mushrooms and sweat down slowly until the onions are translucent.
3. Add in the paprika and tomato paste and cook for a few minutes.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and add in the tinned tomatoes, fennel seeds, chipotle chilli powder, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper.  Mix to combine, taste as you go it may need a little dash of sugar to balance out the tomatoes.  Let simmer for around 10 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
4. Heat a small saucepan with a little of olive oil and fry the meatballs in batches, just getting a little colour on each side as the meatballs will finish cooking in the tomato sauce.  Once the meatballs have colour – add into the tomato sauce and simmer for a further 10 minutes until they are cooked through.
5. Serve with a grating of parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of parsley.  Serve with some really crusty bread to soak up all those delicious flavours.