Chicken and dill balls in tomato sauce

This is for you, Maria Ganotis Brent, as I try to stop hitting the carbs during COVID lockdown. Sadly we didn’t get to meet this year in Greece or the Lake District but there will always be του χρόνου. But I often think of you as I gobble down bread (albeit multigrain sourdough) and know that I should be reducing my carb intake, particularly the refined products and sugar.  Yes, I know I served this with rice but you don’t have to.

As readers of this blog know, I love meatballs in any shape or form. These happened because I found chicken mince in Piedimonte’s and looked to see what I had in the fridge and pantry. The other evening I watched a cookery show of Jamie Oliver and was in awe about how he used up all his dying vegetables to make sachets of tomato sauce to freeze. Yes, I do use whatever is around to make sauces but not usually in volumes enough to store.  I find there are good ready made sauces in the supermarket and I always have some of those ready at hand in the pantry whether I am in Melbourne or Athens. This time I used a Melbourne favourite, the Five Brothers tomato and basil pasta sauce.

Ingredients 

500 gr tomato sauce

250 gr water

500 gr chicken mince

3 teaspoons crushed garlic

3 teaspoons crushed ginger root

2 tablespoons chopped dill

2 spring onions

Olive oil

Shaved Parmesan 

Wholemeal brown basmati rice

Mode

Place the tomato sauce in a pan to heat

Add the water to sauce jar, shake and add to sauce

Stir to combine

Bring to simmer and reduce heat

Place chicken mince in bowl

Crush garlic and ginger and add

Chop dill and add

Chop spring onions and add

Stir to combine thoroughly using hands if needed

With a tablespoon sized mixture form balls

Meanwhile heat olive oil in frying pan

In batches seal the chicken balls in the oil and add to the tomato sauce

Simmer in sauce until cooked through and imbued with tomato sauce flavours

Serve with multigrain basmati rice and sprinkle with shaved Parmesan.