Italian meatballs "Polpette"

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g minced beef
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 130 g Parmesan, grated
• 2 eggs
• ½ bunch parsley
• 4 tbsp, heaped breadcrumbs
• 100 ml red wine
• 3 small cans of tomatoes, in pieces
• 1 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper
• some oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

Crush the garlic, finely chop the parsley, and knead both with the minced meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, and 80g of freshly grated Parmesan cheese until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Form 25 to 30 golf-ball-sized dumplings and fry in a pan for about 10 minutes. Shortly before the end of the cooking time, deglaze the dumplings with the red wine and continue to simmer over low heat until the red wine is almost evaporated. Meanwhile, for the tomato sauce, heat the chopped tomatoes with the butter and the remaining Parmesan cheese in a saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Then puree thoroughly with a hand blender. Once the red wine has almost completely evaporated, add the entire contents of the pan (i.e., dumplings and cooking juices) to the tomato sauce. We find that the dish tastes best when reheated, so feel free to prepare it a few hours before serving. Spaghetti and a crisp leaf salad go well with it.