Polpette Di Peppe Recipes

POLPETTE - ITALIAN MEATBALLS IN RICH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large bowl add ground beef and crumble it with a wooden spoon or simply using your fingers.
• Add finely chopped shallot. I like to use a microplane grater as it extracts all the juices to go with the meat and minces the shallot really well.
• Add ground nutmeg, breadcrumbs, egg(s) and Parmesan cheese.
• Mix everything well with your hands.
• Slowly pour in the milk. Mix again until smooth and even texture.
• Add salt and pepper.
• If the mixture feels too dry add some more milk, if way too soft, almost liquid-y - add more breadcrumbs.
• An ideal meatball mix should be moist, easy to roll in your hands and hold the shape.
• Preheat oven to 400 F.
• Pinch of about an ounce of meat and roll it between the palms of your hands giving it a smooth round shape with no cracks.
• With an ounce of meat you'll have medium size meatballs, think walnut size.
• Of course you can make your meatballs smaller or bigger, depending your preference.
• Place rolled meatballs on a baking sheet (see notes!).Line with parchment paper to avoid extra cleaning.Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
• In a large skillet pan add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
• Add baked meatballs, tomato pure (clean the can/bottle with about a quarter cup water and add to the sauce).
• Add garlic cloves crushed with a flat knife, handful of fresh basil leaves and generous drizzle of dried oregano.
• Bring to simmer and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes.

POLPETTE DI MAMMA

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine olive oil, basil leaves and garlic over very low heat until mixture is very fragrant and garlic turns golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Strain mixture, discarding basil and garlic; set oil aside., In a Dutch oven, combine crushed tomatoes, water, tomato paste, salt, chopped basil, pepper and reserved olive oil. Bring to a boil; remove ½ cup and set aside. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, while preparing polpette., Meanwhile, to make polpette, in a large bowl, combine all polpette ingredients and reserved 1/2 cup tomato mixture. Gently mix until combined (mixture will be loose). With wet hands, roll 1/4 cup mixture into balls. Place on a baking sheet or plate. Add raw meatballs to simmering sauce, gently shaking pan to allow for more space. Bring to a simmer; cook, covered, at least 45 minutes or up to 2 hours.

POLPETTE NAPOLETANE

Steps:

• Put the bread in a small mixing bowl, cover with milk, and leave to soak.
• Chop the parsley and garlic together. Put meat into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze the milk out of the bread and add to meat. Add parsley and garlic. Use your hands to mix the ingredients. Break eggs into the mixture to bind it. Keep mixing. Add the pecorino. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shape meatballs by hand, make a hole in the top and insert a small piece of mozzarella. Cover it up and pat meatball into shape. Roll them in bread crumbs. Pour olive oil into a frying pan and when it's really hot, fry the meatballs for 5 minutes, or until they have formed a crust. Then turn over. When golden brown and crusty on both sides remove the meatballs from the pan and drain on paper towels.
• Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce, cover and cook very slowly on low heat for 45 minutes, until the sauce is reduced by half.
• Pour enough oil into a saucepan to cover the surface. Add garlic and 3 tins of tomatoes, mashing them slightly. Boil the sauce for 5 minutes and simmer for another 3 minutes.
• Cooking Time: 8 minutes

GNOCCHI CON POLPETTE DI MANZO

Steps:

• Put the tomatoes into a saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme leaves, bay leaf, oregano, garlic powder, sugar, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Put the beef and pork into a large bowl and add the parsley, bread crumbs, cumin, oregano, eggs, and salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and roll it into a small ball; repeat. You will get about 80 small meatballs. Put them onto a sheet pan and broil until they are browned and cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Cook the gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and rinse. Toss them in the olive oil.
• To serve: Using long skewers, skewer on a gnocchi, a meatball, and then another gnocchi. Press the top gnocchi into the crushed sweet pepper. Cut an eggplant in half lengthwise and put it cut side down onto a platter. Stick the finished skewers into the eggplant. Serve with a bowl of warm marinara on the side for dipping.

POLPETTE ALLA CANTINELLA

Steps:

• Remove the crust from the bread and soak in water until soft.
• In a large mixing bowl put the garlic, ground beef and veal, parsley, salt, pepper, and Parmesan. Squeeze the water out of the bread and add it in small pieces. Combine all the ingredients using your hands. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Pat the meatballs into small, flat patties. Dust them in flour.
• Heat both oils in a frying pan. When really hot, fry the meatballs for approximately 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove the meatballs and place them in a clean frying pan on a medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the wine and the beef stock. Turn up heat and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
• Garnish with basil leaves and serve with mashed potatoes.

POLPETTE DI VITTORIO: VITTORIO'S MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Put the ground beef, Parmigiano cheese, bread crumbs, nutmeg, parsley, salt, pepper, milk, and extra-virgin olive oil in a mixing bowl. Mix all the ingredients together well.
• Heat a grill.
• Scoop the mixture into the palm of your hands and form a meatball. Then flatten out the meatball so that it resembles a meat patty. Place the meat patty between 2 lemon leaves. Repeat the process with the remaining beef mixture.
• Cook the patties on a hot grill for a few minutes on each side. As they cook, the oils from the lemon leaves will infuse the meat patties with lemon flavor. Use tongs to securely lift and turn over each meat patty so that it remains sandwiched between the two lemon leaves as it cooks. Transfer the meat patties, still sandwiched between the lemon leaves, to a serving platter and serve immediately.

CELERY POLPETTE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the celery stalks into 2-inch pieces (reserve the leaves). Boil the celery until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water, then spin in a salad spinner and pat dry. Pulse the celery in a food processor until chopped. Squeeze handfuls of the puree in a kitchen towel to remove excess water.
• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the celery puree, 1/3 cup parsley, 2 teaspoons minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Reserve the skillet.
• Mix the eggs, breadcrumbs and parmesan into the celery mixture. Roll into about 16 small balls; refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the celery balls and cook, turning, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off half of the oil from the skillet. Add the tomato paste, the remaining 1 teaspoon minced garlic and the red pepper flakes; cook over medium heat until the garlic starts to brown, about 1 minute. Add 2/3 cup water and whisk until emulsified, about 30 seconds. Return the celery balls to the sauce and heat through. Add the reserved celery leaves and the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley.