Recipe: David Rocco's All-Time Favorite Meatballs with Wine Sauce (using ricotta)

MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE MEATBALLS

"These meatballs are outstanding because of the crust that you get when you fry them and the gorgeous wine sauce that comes from deglazing the pan. They're absolutely delicious - moist and full o f favor, with a silky texture. Some meatball recipes can be dry and heavy (I secretly love that kind too), but here the ricotta's job is to help bind the meat together and keep it moist. And let me tell you, my friends, it does its job well. The sun-dried tomatoes add an explosion of sweetness."



FOR THE MEATBALLS:
1 lb (500 g) extra-lean ground beef
3 1/2 oz (100 g) fresh ricotta cheese
1 egg
10 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup (250 mL) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Flour, for dredging

FOR THE WINE SAUCE:
4 tbsp (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed whole
5 sun-dried tomatoes, halved
1 cup (250 mL) white wine

TO MAKE THE MEATBALLS:
Put ground beef, ricotta, egg, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, Parmigiano and salt and pepper into a mixing bowl. Get your hands in the bowl and mix well until the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Roll bits of the mixture into the size and shape of golf balls and then give them a gentle pat to slightly fatten them, so they can cook evenly. Now, to help with that beautiful crust, lightly dredge them in four, shaking off any excess.

TO COOK THE MEATBALLS AND MAKE THE WINE SAUCE:
In a large frying pan, on high heat, heat up the olive oil, and when it's very hot, add the meatballs, garlic and halved sun-dried tomatoes. Fry meatballs until golden on both sides, but be careful that you're not burning your garlic or sun-dried tomatoes. If they start to burn, remove them.

Add the wine, and if you have taken out the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, put them back in. When the wine reaches a slight boil, lower the heat to medium and let the whole thing cook for 5 minutes, or until the wine is reduced by two-thirds and forms a nice, thick, sweet sauce.

VARIATION:
If you want your polpette in tomato sauce, you can prepare them in one of two ways: dredged in four, fried and then finished in a simple tomato sauce for 5 minutes; or slow cooked in sauce for 45 minutes - just don't dredge them

Makes 4-6 servings
Used with permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Source: Made in Italy by David Rocco