Authentic Italian Meatballspolpette Recipe Foodcom

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.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• With clean hands, mix all ingredients except for milk and salt in very large bowl. Mixture will feel somewhat dry.
• Start adding milk approximately one cup at a time until the mixture feels more moist and pliable.
• Sprinkle the top of the mixture finely with the season salt and work that in as well.
• (The size of the meatball is up to you- I like them on the bigger side so I roll them bigger than a golfball but smaller than a tennnis ball. I also prefer baking them in the oven over frying them. They seem to brown more evenly and they hold their shape better.).
• Line them in a 9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray (12 per pan) and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20-30 min.'s or until browned.
• Transfer them carefully into your pot of simmering tomato sauce and simmer them only for about an hour. If you cook them too long in the sauce, they will lose their flavor.
• This is a good amount for a large crowd. You can freeze half if needed.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients in a large bowl by hand.
• Use your bare hands for best results.
• Roll meatballs to about the size of a golf ball. (wet your hands to prevent the meat from sticking to them while rolling the meat balls).
• Drop raw meatballs into large (I use a stock pot) pot of sauce.
• (I have an incredible sauce recipe {#92096} I use for my meatballs).
• Simmer for about 3 hours.

POLPETTE NAPOLETANE (NEAPOLITAN MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, place the bread; cover with milk and leave to soak.
• Chop parsley and garlic together.
• Squeeze milk out of the bread and add to meat along with parsley and garlic in a large mixing bowl.
• Mix ingredients together, then add eggs and mix again.
• Add Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Shape meatballs, make a hole in the top and insert a small piece of mozarella.
• Cover over mozzarella, then roll meatballs in bread crumbs.
• Fry in heated olive oil for 5 minutes, then turn over.
• When golden brown and crusty on both sides, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
• Add meatballs to your favorite tomato sauce and cook very slowly for 45 minutes on low heat.

MEATBALLS AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MEATBALL

Steps:

• (Add 1/4 cup of red wine to the mixture 3-4 days ahead of the cooking time if you want.).
• The first step is to gently mix all the ingredients, except olive oil, together in a large bowl. Now coat your palms with a thin layer of oil. Divide the mixture into about 16 portions, or lesser, if you desire bigger meatballs.
• Take a single portion of the mixture and lightly roll it between your palms to form a ball. Repeat this with all the portions of the meat mixture.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat, in a pot. Once the oil is slightly heated, gently slide in 3 to 4 meatballs at a time. Once they have browned well on one side, carefully turn them over. They are ready once they are brown all over. Take them out and repeat this process with the next batch.
• You may use them instantly, or refrigerate them for later use.

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 ALLA NAPOLETANA (NEAPOLITAN MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, soak the bread cubes in water to cover for a minute or two.
• Drain the bread cubes and squeeze with your fingers to press out the excess moisture (make sure you do this well).
• In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, beef, eggs, garlic, pecorino, parsley, toasted pine nuts, salt and pepper, and mix with your hands to incorporate.
• With wet hands, form the mixture into 12-15 meatballs, each smaller than a tennis ball, but larer than a golf ball.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until almost smoking.
• Add the meatballs and, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan, cook until deep golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Add the tomato sauce and reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Cook all the meatballs for 30 minutes.
• Set aside and allow to cool; save the sauce for another use.