Heat a deep sided pan on medium to low heat and add 1 tbsp of oil then add the finely diced onions and sweat until translucent.  Sweating the onions brings out the sugar in them adding a rich dept of flavour.

While the onions are sweating in a large bowl add all the ingredients for the meatballs, seasoning generously then add in the sweated onions when done. Mix and fold all ingredient until everything is combined taking care that the onions are still hot.

What I normally do before shaping the meatballs is to place a sheet of baking parchment, cling wrap or tin foil out on the counter surface and lightly oil it.  I then lightly oil my hands and pinch a bit of meat off and shape by rolling around between my hands until they are the required shape and place them on the sheet.  I aim to get them to a rough golf ball or ping pong ball size. You can make them as big or small as you like you will just have to adjust the cooking time.

Once all the meatballs are shaped, wash your hands and clean up your area before reheating your deep sided pan/wok with a table spoon of oil on high heat.

Once the pan is hot lift all the sheet up with all the meatballs and transfer them in one go into the hot pan. This saves you having to transfer them by hand and having to wash your hands all over again.

Brown all the meatballs in the hot oil then transfer onto a plate with a bit of kitchen paper to remove excess oil. You are not cooking the meatballs through just looking to get a really nice brown color so hot oil and turn them when browned.

Reduce the heat and if you need to remove some of the oil from the pan leaving roughly a tbsp behind. Excess fat will have come out of the meatballs into the pan so you don't want too much oil left over.

Add in the chopped onions and sweat until translucent. Then add in your diced peppers and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add in the tomato puree, minced garlic and herbs and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes to cook the garlic but also cook out the bitter taste of the tomato puree.

Add in the tinned tomatoes and stock,season, mix to combine and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs into your sauce and simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Reduce the sauce to correct consistency and taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve with a thick pasta that will hold the sauce such has tagliatelle or with spaghetti for a more traditional spaghetti and meatballs.

Top the meatballs with a nice mature grated cheddar or freshly grated parmesan cheese for a more authentic flavour.