Decorated Meatballs

Pumpes. Take an sethe a gode gobet of Porke, & not to lene, as tendyr as thou may; than take hem vppe & choppe forth with-alle, & Also choppe forth with Roysonys of coraunce; than take hem & rolle hem as round as thou may, lyke to smale pelettys, a ij inches a-bowte, than ley hem on a dysshe be hem selue; than make a gode Almounde mylke, & a lye it with floure of Rys, & lat it boyle wyl, but loke that it be clene rennyng, & at the dressoure, ley v pompys in a disshe, & pore thin potage ther-on. An if thou wolt, sette on euery ponpe a flos campy flour, & a-boue straw on Sugre y-now, & Maces; & serue hem forth. And sum men make the pellettys of vele or beeff, but Porke ys beste & fayrest.

900 g/2 lb lean pork without skin or bone 1.1 litres/2 pints/5 cups beef stock, skimmed of fat 125 g/4 oz ground almonds 1 tablespoon rice flour or cornflour 1 tablespoon currants ¼ teaspoon ground mace 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves Salt and pepper A little oil for greasing Garnish: White sugar and ground mace for sprinkling Small real or dried flowers

These meatballs can be used as snacks for two or three people, or as a garnish for roast poultry or game. Cook the pork in the stock until just about tender. Drain it, reserving the stock, Use 275 ml/ 10 fl oz/ 1¼ cups of the stock to make almond 'milk' with the ground almonds and rice flour or cornflour as described in a previous recipe. Put this and the rest of the stock aside, separately, to cool.

Cut the pork into small slices. It should still be moist but not pink. Process the slices in batches in an electric blender, adding the currants, spices and seasoning while processing. Form the mixture into 18 meatballs about 4 cm/1½ inches in diameter. Roll these in a lightly greased frying-pan until lightly browned all over, then leave to cool. Thin down the almond 'milk' if necessary with a little stock; it should coat the meatballs lightly. Cover each meatball with a little 'sauce'. Just before serving, sprinkle the dish lightly with white sugar and the golden mace, and decorate with small vivid flowers.

Your Decorated Meatballs is ready. Happy cooking!