Polpette Torpedo Shaped Meatballs 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 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.

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 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.

POLPETTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix together the beef, pork, cheese, breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, salt, pepper and eggs in a large bowl, then roll into small balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F. Fry meatballs for 1 minute. Top with your favorite marinara and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MEATBALLS/POLPETTE

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together
• Form about the size of golf balls
• Make or pour tomato sauce into a deep pot Drop meat balls in sauce.
• Simmer for at least 2 hours.

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.

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 ALLA CASALINGA

Steps:

• Soak the pieces of bread in 1/2 cup milk for 5 minutes, then squeeze them dry and discard the milk.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix vigorously with both hands or beat with a wooden spoon until all of the ingredients are well blended and the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
• Shape the mixture into small balls about
• 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Lay the meatballs out in one layer on a flat tray or baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
• Heat 1/4 cup of olive or vegetable oil in a heavy 10 to 12 inch skillet until a light haze forms over it.
• Fry meatballs 5-6 at a time over moderately high heat, shaking the pan constantly to roll the balls and help keep them round.
• In 8-10 minutes the meatballs would be brown outside a d show no trace of pink inside.
• Add more olive or vegetable oil as needed.
• Serve the meatballs hot in your favorite tomato sauce.

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 (TORPEDO SHAPED MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• Stir together bread crumbs and milk in a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes.
• Add meats, garlic, cheese, eggs, parsley, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to bread crumb mixture and blend with your hands until combined (do not overmix). Form 1 1/2 cups meat mixture into small torpedo-shaped meatballs (1 level tablespoon each). Reserve remaining 4 cups meat mixture for ragù .
• Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then fry meatballs in 2 batches (do not crowd), turning occasionally, until browned well and cooked through, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels using a slotted spoon and reserve oil for frying meatballs for ragù.