Tomato and Tiny Meatball Soup with Pesto
Photography Minka Firth.
Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon cloves
2x 400 gram tins Italian tomatoes, crushed
6 cups chicken stock
1⁄4 cup rice 100 grams pesto
Meatballs
1⁄2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons milk
400 grams lamb mince
1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 clove garlic, crushed
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
1⁄4 cup chopped mint
salt and freshly ground pepper
METHOD
Soup: Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the carrot, celery, onion, rosemary, garlic, cinnamon and the cloves and cook for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the stock, season and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the rice, cover and simmer for a further 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Season.
Meatballs: Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl and mix. Add the remaining ingredients and combine well. Roll into marble sized balls and place on a shallow, lined baking tray. Roast in the oven for 8 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
To serve: Add the meatballs to the soup and heat through. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a spoonful of the pesto. Serves 4-6
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We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.







