Polpette Di Ricciola Fish Cakes Sicilia Recipes

POLPETTE DI PEPPE

Steps:

• Soak the bread in the milk for a few minutes, and remove excess milk by squeezing the bread with your hands. Break up the bread into small pieces and add to a mixing bowl with the ground pork, ground beef, raisins, pine nuts, parsley, basil, Parmigiano cheese, and salt and pepper.
• Add the eggs, and mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. With your hands, shape the meatballs into the size of golf balls.
• In a large pot, heat the extra-virgin olive oil and cook the onion until translucent. Add the wine, and tomato puree, and bring it to a boil. Add the uncooked meatballs to the pot and let cook on medium heat until cooked through, about 30 minutes.

POLPETTE DI RICCIOLA (FISH CAKES) - SICILIA

Steps:

• Mix the fish, capers, parsley, egg, breadcrumbs, ½ the lemon zest and 5 mls (1 teaspoon) of the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste together until well blended.
• Make 4 cm patties.
• Dip them in the flour.
• Heat a frying pan with 60 mls olive oil in the pan until hot. Add the patties and fry until golden and then keep turning them until golden all over (about 5 minutes per side). Remove the fishcakes to a kitchen paper lined plate and continue cooking the fish cakes until all done. Add more oil if necessary.
• Serve immediately with a wedge of lemon.

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

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.