Mushroom meatballs in spicy tomato sauce

Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor in batches for a few seconds each until finely chopped but not pulverised, or chop them finely by hand.

Finely chop the onion and roughly chop the garlic.

Heat a large fry pan over medium heat with the two tablespoons of olive oil, add the onion and mushrooms and mix so they are coated, stirring every minute or so.

After four to five minutes, when lightly sautéed, add the garlic and cook a further two to three minutes.

After about eight minutes total, when the mushrooms are lightly browned and their water has cooked off, take the pan off the heat and turn everything into a large bowl.

Once cool enough to handle, about four to five minutes, add the bread crumbs, the egg, the parsley and the thyme, season with sea salt and black pepper and mix well.

Press down on the mixture until it is paste-like.

Take a spoonful, squeeze it in the hands so it binds and shape it into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Add breadcrumbs if the mixture is too wet, whisked egg if it is too dry.

Heat the same pan over medium heat with the three tablespoons of olive oil, add the meatballs in a single layer, evenly spaced, and fry seven to eight minutes, turning every one to two minutes, until golden all around.

Remove the meatballs. In the same pan at the same heat, add the minced garlic and mix continuously 10 to 15 seconds until fragrant without browning.

Add the hot and sweet smoked paprika and mix quickly.

Add the canned tomato sauce, season with sea salt and black pepper, mix and simmer three to four minutes until slightly thickened. A pinch of white sugar, baking soda or ground cinnamon corrects an acidic sauce.

Return the meatballs in a single layer and cook two to three minutes until heated through.

Spoon sauce into a serving dish, set the meatballs on it and sprinkle with chopped parsley.