Recipe(tried): Polpette Semplici -- Simple Meatballs (3)

Polpette Semplici -- Simple Meatballs
Source: Biba's Taste of Italy by Biba Caggiano
Serves 6-8

The special craving I have for polpette is as much emotional as it is gustatory, since it is one of the nurturing dishes of my childhood. Try my mother's polpette, then try the variation, in which they are enriched by an appetizing tomato and bean sauce.

1 pound not-too-lean ground beef
3/4 cup day-old Italian bread, crust removed and discarded, and crumb shredded
Milk (you'll want to have a pint handy)
A large egg or 2 small ones
1/4 cup minced parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
A healthy pinch of nutmeg or whatever other ground spice suits your fancy (optional)
1/4 cup olive oil
Bread crumbs for rolling the meatballs (optional)

Soak the bread in enough milk so it is thoroughly wet through. Drain it well, squeezing it gently to remove most of the milk (you want the crumbs moist but not dripping). Combine the crumbs with the ground meat, the egg, the minced parsley, the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, and knead the mixture well. Then shape it into so many balls about an inch in diameter. If you like, roll them in bread crumbs.

Set a large skillet to heat with the oil, and add the meatballs. Cook, stirring, over a medium flame until they are browned on all sides, then pour in a half cup or slightly more milk. Partially cover and simmer the meatballs until they are done and the sauce is considerably thickened. Serve, spooning the sauce over the meatballs, with a salad, spinach, or mashed potatoes.

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Polpette Ubaldine Medievali (Meat Dumplings with Medieval Spices)

MEDIEVAL FEAST

11 ounces assorted meats (veal, chicken, beef, etc.)
1 large roll, without the crust cut into small pieces
2 eggs
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 sausage, without fennel
2 crushed cloves
Nutmeg, to taste
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 to 5 fresh or day-old rolls to make bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying

Grind the meat. Mix all of the ingredients together and add to the ground meat. Make small dumplings (approximately the size of hazlenuts.) To make the bread crumbs, remove the crust from the 4 to 5 rolls and put bread in a food processor until consistency is like flour. Roll dumplings in bread crumbs and shake off excess. Fry in hot oil until golden. Remove the dumplings with a skimmer and place on paper to remove the excess oil.

SAUCE:

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 roll without crust
Red vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste

Chop the tarragon and capers very finely. Soak bread in red vinegar. Squeeze out the excess vinegar and chop into very small pieces. Mix all ingredients together. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve with dumplings.
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My Mother's Fried Meatballs
(Polpette Fritte di Mia Mamma)

Serves 6 to 8
2 slices white bread
1 cup milk
3/4 pound ground veal
1/2 pound Homemade Bolognese sausage or mild Italian pork sausage(containing no fennel seeds, chile pepper, or strong spices), casings removed and chopped
1/4 pound sliced mortadella, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 large eggs
2 cups line dried bread crumbs
Olive oil for frying

Remove the crusts from the bread and tear it into pieces. Put it in a small bowl, add the milk, and let soak for 5 minutes.

Drain the bread and squeeze out as much of the milk as possible. Place the bread in a large bowl and add the veal, sausage, mortadella, nutmeg, Parmigiano, and eggs. Season lightly with salt and pepper and mix until well combined.

Take a small amount of the meat mixture and shape it between the palms of your hands into a ball about the size of a very small egg. Place on a plate, then repeat until all the meat is used up.

Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl. Dip the meatballs in the beaten eggs, coat them evenly with the bread crumbs, and flatten them a little with the palms of your hands. Place the polpette in a single layer on a cookie sheet or large platter. (They can be refrigerated, tightly covered with plastic wrap, for several hours.)

Heat 1 inch of oil in a medium heavy skillet over medium-high heat. As soon as the oil is nice and hot, lower the polpette, in batches into the oil with a slotted spoon, making sure not to crowd the pan. As soon as the polpette are golden on one side, 1 to 2 minutes, turn them and brown the other side. Transfer the polpette to paper towels to drain. Pile the polpette on a warm serving platter and bring to the table.

Note: Fried polpette are delicious and versatile. They can be served as a casual appetizer, a snack, or a light lunch or dinner. In the countryside of Emilia-Romagna, they are often served with tender leaves of wild chicory or with Parmigiano-enriched mashed potatoes.