Lemon Polpettini Recipes

POLPETTINI

Steps:

• Coat a large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add 3 diced onions, season with salt and cook until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 3 finely chopped garlic cloves and cook 2 to 3 more minutes. Let cool.
• Mix 1/2 pound each ground beef, veal and pork with the onion mixture, 3/4 cup Parmigiano, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup water, 3 eggs and 3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary; season with salt. The mixture should be pretty loosey-goosey; add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water if needed. Roll into 1-inch balls.
• Working in four batches, cook the polpettini in olive oil in a large skillet over high heat, turning, until browned. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock to each batch; cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve on rosemary sprig "toothpicks."

POLPETTONE TWO WAYS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the bread with 1/2 cup of the milk and break apart with your fingers. Mix well and allow the bread to soak for 5 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, egg, prosciutto, Parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon salt and mix with a wooden spoon to evenly distribute the prosciutto. Add the turkey and parsley and mix well. Divide the mixture into 2 even oblong loaves.
• Heat 2 medium skillets over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to each pan. Add a loaf to each pan and cook on all sides until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Divide the white wine between the two pans and cook until reduced by half. Add the remaining 2 cups milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt to one of the pans and bring to a simmer. Add the marinara to the other pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat under each pan to medium low and cover the pans. Braise until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees in the center of each loaf, about 25 minutes, carefully flipping the loaves about halfway through.
• Remove the loaves from the pan and allow them to rest 10 minutes before slicing. Remove the marinara from the heat and stir with a wooden spoon. Simmer the remaining milk, uncovered, until it reduces by half. It will be slightly brown and look broken. Using an immersion blender, blend the milk until fully emulsified and creamy. Serve each polpettone with its respective sauce.

POLPETTINE - ITALIAN HOUSEWIFE'S MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Chop garlic, celery leaves and potato.
• In a mixing bowl combine ground meat, bread crumbs, grated lemon peel, salt, chopped garlic, sage and celery leaves, potato, two tablespoons olive oil and the egg.
• Knead like bread dough and slowly add some milk to make a soft dough.
• The meat dough should be smooth and homogenous.
• Shape into 2 inch meatballs, flatten to about 1 1/2 inch thickness and fry in olive oil until golden brown.
• My aunt served them with a salad of cooked green beans and potatoes, seasoned with nothing but salt, pepper and savory and drizzled with olive oil.

POLPETTINI

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and put the pan over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt, to taste, and saute until they are translucent and aromatic but have no color, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the meats, rosemary, Parmesan, water, bread crumbs, and eggs. Season generously with salt and add the cooked onions and garlic. Combine until well mixed. (Squish with your hands, it's fun!)
• Make a small patty of the meat mixture. Cook it and eat it. This is a tester patty to check and see if the seasoning is correct (it will probably need salt). Adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• Roll the meat mixture into 3/4-inch meatballs. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and put over high heat. Working in batches, cook the polpettini until they are brown on all sides. Add half a cup of chicken stock and cook until the stock has reduced by half. Remove to serving platters. Repeat this process until all the polpettini are cooked and serve immediately. Buonissimo!

LEMON-POPPY SEED FETTUCCINE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook until the garlic is golden brown; discard the garlic. Add the zucchini to the garlic oil; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the poppy seeds and remove from the heat.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the pasta, 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, the lemon zest, butter and parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and toss to combine. Add the remaining 1/2 cup cooking water and the lemon juice and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute (the pasta will continue to absorb the sauce as it sits). Divide among bowls.

ZUPPA DI POLPETTINI

Steps:

• Pour the olive oil into a large heavy bottomed pot with the garlic. Place over a medium flame and let the garlic brown. Be careful not to let it burn. Put the tomatoes through a blender to liquefy. Add to the browned garlic along with the parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring the tomato mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and carefully drop the meatballs into the sauce. Let simmer for 1 hour.
• Add the peas and the cooked pasta and serve hot with grated cheese. Serve with Italian bread, if desired.
• Put the ground beef into a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, garlic, parsley, salt, cheese and pepper and mix by hand until well combined. Form the mixture into 1 inch balls - a small ice cream scoop works well for this. Place the meatballs close together on a baking sheet as you make them. When finished, drop them into the simmering sauce.

AUBERGINE POLPETTINE

Steps:

• Cover the currants with boiling water and set aside to soak. Put the aubergines in a saucepan and cover with boiling water. Boil for 10 mins, then drain and leave to cool. Take handfuls of the aubergine, squeeze out the excess water and put the pulp in a bowl. Drain the currants, and add with the cheese, nuts, 200g of the breadcrumbs and half the egg. Mix together and season really well (aubergines need good seasoning). The mixture should neither be too soft nor too firm. You should be able to form balls about the size of walnuts without it falling apart. Add more egg or breadcrumbs to get the right consistency.
• Roll each ball in flour, then put them on baking sheets, cover with cling film and chill until you want to cook them. When you're ready to serve, dip each ball in egg, then the breadcrumbs, and put them back on the baking sheets (you may find you need more breadcrumbs or egg, depending on how much you used when making the balls).
• Half-fill a large frying pan with oil, or deep enough so the fritters will be submerged, and put on the heat. When it's hot but not smoking, fry the fritters, about six at a time, until dark golden all over - about 7 mins. Transfer onto platters covered with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil, then remove them from the paper and serve immediately.

POLPETTONE WITH SPINACH AND PROVOLONE

Steps:

• Put bread cubes in a small bowl, cover with cream and set aside to soak until softened, about 10 minutes.
• Put beef, pork and veal in a mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley. Add Parmesan and, using hands, knead seasoning into meat. Combine soaked bread (and any remaining cream) with beaten eggs, then pour mixture over seasoned meat and knead until well combined.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-by-18-inch baking sheet with parchment or foil. Press ground meat mixture evenly over parchment to make a flat rectangle slightly smaller than the baking sheet. Top with slices of mortadella. Scatter cooked spinach evenly over mortadella. Break provolone slices into rough pieces and distribute over surface. Finish with hard-cooked egg chopped into chunks.
• Using parchment to help, roll the meat into a long cylinder with filling on the inside. With the long side facing you, first lift parchment and use it to roll meat to the center, pressing down to keep it in place. Then lift parchment on the opposite long side, bringing meat just past the center to overlap itself slightly. Pinch the "seam" of the meat together to keep filling in place. Sprinkle with half the dry crumbs. You will now have a cylinder approximately 15 inches long. Twist ends of parchment to firm the mixture, then transfer to a deep-sided baking dish or roasting pan, and place it seam-side down. Carefully remove and discard parchment. With hands, press firmly to form cylinder into a long loaf with rounded ends. Dust top and sides with remaining bread crumbs. (The polpettone may be prepared to this point several hours, or up to 24 hours, in advance; keep refrigerated and bring to room temperature before baking.)
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until internal temperature is 140 degrees. Let rest for 10 minutes and cut into 1-inch-thick slices and serve. (Alternatively, cool to room temperature and refrigerate for up to 3 days. If serving cold, cut thinner slices.)

LEMON POLPETTINI

Steps:

• Spread flour on large baking sheet. Combine breadcrumbs, pork, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, Parmesan, and anchovy in large bowl. Add a large pinch each of salt and pepper and mix ingredients gently but thoroughly by hand, being careful not to compact the mixture too much. Shape into 18-20 balls, about a heaped tablespoon each, and put on floured baking sheet.
• Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat until butter melts and foam subsides. Roll enough meatballs to fit comfortably in skillet in flour until lightly coated. Cook until golden brown on all sides, in batches if necessary, 10-12 minutes per batch. Avoid moving unless necessary to promote caramelization.
• Pour off most of fat from skillet and add chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce for 2-3 minutes. Serve with pasta and juices from pan.