Polpettine Alla Griglia Sicilian Lemon Grilled Meatballs Food

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

POLPETTINE ALLA GRIGLIA (SICILIAN LEMON GRILLED MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients except the leaves, and make many slightly flattened meatballs small enough that you can wrap each in a leaf (use a toothpicks or skewers to keep them rolled).
• Grill the meatballs until done and squeeze with lemon before serving. (The leaves are not edible, so you may wish to wrap the leaves in a manner that will be quick to unwrap.).

SICILIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Place the torn bread in a small bowl and pour the milk over it; set aside to soak.
• Place a roasting pan on the counter; add a healthy drizzle of oil, about 1 tablespoon.
• Add the canned tomatoes to the pan and crush with a potato masher or a wooden spoon.
• Season the tomatoes liberally with salt and pepper.
• In a large bowl, using your hands, combine the ground sirloin, the remaining tablespoon oil, the garlic, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, allspice, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pine nuts, currants, egg, and salt and pepper.
• Squeeze out the excess milk from the soaking bread (it should be loose and in small pieces), then add it to the meat mixture; discard the milk.
• Form the meatball mixture into 12 baseball-size balls, each about 3 inches in diameter, and place them in the roasting pan, nestling them into the tomatoes.
• Roast until the meatballs are brown and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Place the ciabatta, unwrapped, in the oven to heat when the meatballs are just about done.
• Tear the warm, crusty bread into large pieces.
• Remove the meatballs from the oven and arrange the torn pieces of bread in and around the meatballs and sauce.
• Stir the ricotta cheese together with the basil, season with salt and pepper, and pass at the table.
• Complement each serving of 2 large meatballs with 2-3 tablespoons of cool ricotta spooned along side.

LEMON GRANITA

Steps:

• With a vegetable peeler remove zest in long pieces from 2 lemons. Squeeze 1/2 cup juice from lemons.
• In a small heavy saucepan heat water and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in zest and transfer syrup to a bowl to cool. Chill syrup, covered, until cold. Discard zest and stir in lemon juice.
• For eastern-Sicilian granita:
• Freeze lemon mixture in an ice-cream maker until spoonable but not crumbly and serve immediately.
• For western-Sicilian granita:
• Freeze lemon mixture in a metal bowl, stirring every 30 minutes to remove ice crystals from side of bowl, until liquid has become granular but is still slightly slushy, about 3 to 4 hours. Serve granita immediately.

SICILIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly oil a baking sheet.
• Mix crumbs and milk in a medium bowl; let stand for five minutes.
• Mix in parmesan, onion, basil, egg, garlic and pepper.
• Add sausage, pine nuts and currents; blend well.
• Using wet hands, form into 1 1/4 inch balls.
• Place balls on baking sheet, about one inch apart.
• Bake until meatballs are light brown and cooked through, about thirty minutes.

SICILIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Mince or press the garlic, and chop the parsley into fine pieces (or you can cut the measurement and use dried parsley flakes).
• Grate the onion and place in a bowl.
• Add all of the ingredients above, except for the olive oil, and mix together in the bowl.
• Form balls into the size of golf balls and then dip your hand (or brush) in the oil and then rub it on the balls.
• Place on cookie sheet and brown at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
• I usually add these to my marinara sauce, but you can eat them many other ways as well!

LEMON MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoon of the oil over medium high heat.
• Add onion and garlic; cook 3-4 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, pepper and the onion mixture; mix well.
• Form into 18 meatballs.
• In the same skillet, heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat.
• Add the meatballs and cook 15-20 minutes or until beef is no longer pink inside, turning occasionally.
• While the meatballs are cooking, prepare spaghetti according to package directions, drain and arrange on serving platter.
• Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• When meatballs are cooked, arrange them on top of spaghetti; add lemon juice to the skillet and stir to scrape drippings from the bottom of the pan; pour over meatballs and spaghetti.
• Sprinkle meatballs with parsley and lemon peel in desired, and serve.