Lazy Meatballs with Mozzarella

How to prepare lazy meatballs with mozzarella

1. Tear off pieces of meat about the size of a hazelnut in its shell (perhaps slightly larger...); squeeze them in your fist so they stick together. Then quickly roll between your palms to smooth them out, like a ball.
   
2. In a wide pan, heat the oil, add the chopped anchovies and then the meatballs. Sprinkle with plenty of ground black pepper. Leave for 1 minute without stirring to brown on the first side, then you can start stirring to cook on all sides. Keep the heat higher so you can hear the oil sizzling, so the meat doesn't release its juices and steam.
3. When the meatballs have changed color all over (they don't need to be browned, they don't need to be fully cooked inside yet, just no raw meat visible), push them to the edge of the pan and add the crushed garlic in the center. Stir quickly for 30 seconds then add the tomato paste. Stir and fry it too for 1 minute.
4. Add 50ml water and oregano and stir everything together now, including the meatballs. Put the lid on the pan and simmer for 2 minutes, until you have a thick sauce. Add the lemon zest (about 4-5 passes with the lemon on a fine grater) and taste the sauce for salt.
6. Pour the contents of the pan into a heat-resistant dish about 18-20cm in diameter. Place pieces of mozzarella between the meatballs, over the entire surface of the dish. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley or basil.
   
7. Put the dish in the oven preheated to 200°C. Immediately switch to the grill setting (heat from above; 200°C) and leave only until the cheese is melted and the contents of the dish are bubbling at the edges (about 5 minutes).
8. Remove the dish from the oven and drizzle chili oil over the meatballs (I used about 1 teaspoon). Serve with toasted bread lightly rubbed with garlic and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.
   

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