Porcupine sausage polpette with tomato soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 red capsicum, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup (125mL) white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika (whatever’s in your pantry)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 400g tinned good-quality whole peeled or chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups (500mL) chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar
• 1 bouquet garni, made with basil stalks, a stem of dried Greek oregano and 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Meatballs (makes about 35):

• 500g pork and fennel sausages
• 1/2 cup (50g) finely grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup (80g) pine nuts
• 1/4 cup (40g) currants
• 1/4 cup (50g) long-grain white rice
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• Finely grated parmesan, to garnish
• Thinly sliced basil, to garnish
• A drizzle of the very best olive oil

Directions

1. In a large, heavy-based saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion, capsicum and garlic for a minute or two until the mixture starts to sizzle. Pop on the lid and leave to sweat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes until the onion has softened.
2. Pour the wine into the pan, scraping all the yummy flavoursome bits of caramelisation off the bottom to deglaze the pan. Stir in the paprika and tomato paste and sauté for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the tinned tomatoes then pour some fresh water into the tin, slosh it around to clean out the dregs and add that to the pan along with another tin’s worth of water. Stir in the stock, sugar and another 4 cups (1 litre) of water. Drop in the bouquet garni and bring to the boil, skimming off any froth that rises to the surface.
4. At this point, fish out the bouquet garni. Get your stick blender out and give the soup a bit of a zhuzh. You can leave a few chunks in or purée until smooth.
5. Meanwhile, make a start on the meatballs. Have a little bowl of water nearby. Slip the sausage meat out of the casings into a bowl and combine with the remaining meatball ingredients. Wet your palms before shaping the mixture into balls the size of walnuts; they’ll expand to golf-ball size as they cook. Some sausages can be fairly salty, so check the seasoning of one of the meatballs by poaching it in the soup for 5 minutes, then taste and add extra salt only if needed.
6. Pop all the meatballs into the soup and simmer for 35-40 minutes or until the echidnas emerge out of their burrows and the oil rises to the top, adding more stock or water if needed.
7. Serve garnished with a grating of parmesan, some thinly sliced basil and a drizzle of your best olive oil.