After a stressful work week, I needed to eat something comforting. Not only did I need comfort food, but I also wanted something that I could make a large batch of and be able to re-heat during my even more stressful week ahead. The plan: meatballs. The chef: my husband.
It's almost an unspoken rule in our house that I never attempt to make Italian food, not that I don't think I could, but my husband makes it so much better. We each have our specialties in the kitchen and Italian is definitely his. The things he could do with a few simple ingredients is amazing.
I was really in the mood to eat meatballs. The last time we made some at home was over a year ago. We also had some tasty ones at Osteria Morini for my husband's birthday in January. It was about time to take our our huge stock pot and make a big batch or meaty deliciousness.
We did a little research and came across this recipe. It was a good start, but my husband definitely tweaked it. The result...light, fluffy meatballs. Awesome!
Polpettine
Ingredients:
1 small loaf of crusty white bread
1 cup milk
1 1/2 lbs. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 mortadella, ground up in a food processor
2 eggs
3/4 pecorino
7-8 leaves of basil, finely chopped
small bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tbs. garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
For sauce:
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
4-5 cans of whole plum tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, halved
7 basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Heat olive oil in a very large stock pot. If you don't have a large stock pot, you can make this recipe in two pots. Add a couple halves of garlic and let saute till golden. Remove from oil and discard.
Add onions and saute till soft. Carefully add the canned tomatoes. Using a hand blender, blend till desired consistency.
Add rest of the sauce ingredients and let simmer while you prepare the meatballs.
Carefully tear away the soft interior of the bread and place in a medium bowl. Add milk and let soak for about five minutes. With your hands, make sure there are no large pieces of bread left.
In a large bowl add all the meatball ingredients and bread mixture. Using your hands mix all the ingredients together.
Here is the fun part. Start forming meatballs and set aside on a plate.
Tomato sauce must be gently boiling before adding the meatballs, otherwise they will fall apart.
One by one add the meatballs to the tomato sauce. Let simmer on low for several minutes before attempting to mix for the first time.
Let simmer for about 3 hours, stirring about every 20 minutes.
Serve with pasta or with a side of greens.
Happy cooking!
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