Mexican Meatballs

First, make the meatballs. Break the minced beef up into a large bowl. Add the oregano, cumin, garlic, salt and black pepper and stir well with a fork then mix well with your hands. Add the egg and mix well again, then form the mixture into meatballs. I got 30 meatballs out of the mixture.

Coat the meatballs lightly in flour and tap off any excess. In a large pan (I used a wok), heat a little olive oil over a medium high heat and brown the meatballs all over. You want to brown them but not cook them through; they will finish cooking in the sauce. You may need to cook them in batches. Remove to a plate and set aside. Wipe the pan or wok with kitchen paper to get rid of any excess oil.

In the same pan, make the sauce. Heat a little more oil over a medium heat and fry the shallots for 4-5 minutes until soft. Add the passata and chopped tomatoes and stir well. Add the thyme, oregano, cumin and black pepper. Once the sauce is heated, add the meatballs and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with tortilla wraps, cheddar and guacamole.