Albóndigas en salsa

Step 1: Soak the 1 ⅜ oz day-old white bread in the ¼ cup milk in a large bowl for 5 minutes, then mash it to a paste with a fork.

Step 2: Add the 9 oz pork mince, 9 oz beef mince, 1 egg, one crushed clove of the 1 cloves garlic, two-thirds of the 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, 1 tsp of the 1 tsp salt and the ½ tsp black pepper. Mix with your hand until just combined. Common mistake: kneading the mince for minutes on end. Overworked meatballs turn dense and bouncy instead of tender.

Step 3: With wet hands, roll the mixture into about 20 balls the size of a walnut and roll each lightly in the 3 tbsp plain flour. Shake off the excess; the thin coat helps them brown and later thickens the sauce.

Step 4: Heat half the 3 tbsp olive oil in a wide, deep frying pan or casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in two batches for 5–6 minutes, turning, until golden on all sides. They don't need to be cooked through yet. Lift them onto a plate.

Step 5: Lower the heat to medium and add the rest of the 3 tbsp olive oil. Fry the 1 oz blanched almonds and the two sliced cloves of 2 cloves garlic for 2 minutes, stirring, until both are pale gold. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Step 6: Add the 1 onion to the pan with a pinch of the remaining salt and cook for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and lightly golden.

Step 7: Stir in the 1 tsp sweet pimentón (Spanish paprika) for a few seconds, then pour in the ½ cup dry white wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes until the smell of alcohol has gone. For an alcohol-free sauce, skip the wine and add 100 ml more stock and the vinegar instead.

Step 8: Add the 14 oz passata or grated ripe tomatoes, 1 ¼ cups chicken or beef stock and 1 bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, pound or blend the fried almonds and garlic with 3–4 tablespoons of the sauce to a rough paste, then stir it back into the pan.

Step 9: Return the meatballs to the pan, cover and simmer gently over a low heat for 20 minutes, shaking the pan now and then, until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are cooked through, firm and 160°F/160 °F in the centre. Cut one open to check: no pink should remain.

Step 10: Taste the sauce and add the rest of the ½ tsp salt if needed. Remove the bay leaf, scatter over the remaining 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and serve. To make ahead, cool, chill within 2 hours and keep for up to 3 days; reheat until piping hot.