I was lucky enough to have friends visit from Australia at the start of the year, both of them talented creatives and passionate foodies. Needless to say, we spent plenty of time talking about and sharing delicious food. These pork and fennel meatballs were inspired by one of our conversations, a much-loved dish which they often cook for friends. I have taken it and made it my own and hope that one day they return so that I can cook it for them. Recipe, styling & photos Emma Boyd

Serves 6, Prep Time 25 minutes, Cook Time 40 minutes

SAUCE

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 x tins chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick

MEATBALLS

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 onions, quartered, thinly sliced
• 1⅔ cups/100 g sourdough bread, torn into little pieces
• ⅓ cup milk
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ tsp fennel seeds, toasted
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1½ tsp sea salt
• 600 g pork mince
• pasta to serve
• basil leaves, to garnish
• grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over a medium-high heat and cook the garlic until fragrant. Don’t let it brown. Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and the cinnamon stick and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until reduced and silky.
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the meatballs, heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add in the onions and cook until dark brown and caramelised. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Put the bread into a bowl, pour over the milk, mix well and leave for 5 minutes (no more as you don’t want it to go soggy). Add in the garlic, spices, salt, onions and the mince, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using clean hands, mix the ingredients together and roll into small balls, arranging on a large plate as you go.

Heat some olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the meatballs until golden brown all over and cooked through. Do this in two batches if required. Reheat the tomato sauce and serve along with the meatballs on top of pasta. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with the grated Parmesan cheese.