Polpettone Alla Toscano Or Easy Italian Meatballs Food

POLPETTONE ALLA TOSCANO, OR EASY ITALIAN MEATBALLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Soak the breadcrumbs in milk for five minutes. Strains and squeeze to remove excess milk, then loosen crumbed and spread over a plate.
• In a large bowl, mix together with the beef, prosciutto, salt, egg, parsley and Parmesan cheese. Mix well with your hands.
• Moisten your hands with a little water and form the meat into 8 meatballs of the same size. Be sure to pack them well and not leave any openings, otherwise the meatballs will fall apart while cooking. Place the flour into a small bowl and roll the meatballs lightly in the flour until evenly coated.
• In a large sauté pan with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Gently brown meatballs all over, allowing a nice, savory crust to form. Turn the heat to low.
• To the pan add the carrot and onion. Cook gently just until the vegetables start to brown, then pour in white wine and tomato sauce. Allow to cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes, nudging occasionally with a spatula to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Gently turn meatballs over, cover the pan, and finish cooking until they are cooked through, about 7 more minutes, again nudging to prevent sticking. If you like, you can remove the meatballs from the pan and continue cooking the sauce, uncovered, until it thickens.
• Allow meatballs to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve meatballs hot, covered with tomato sauce and garnished with parmesan cheese. Also, feel free to serve these bad boys on a sandwich with a little provolone, which is most definitely Italian!

POLPETTONE ALLA TOSCANO, OR TUSCAN MEATBALLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Soak the breadcrumbs in milk for five minutes. Strains and squeeze to remove excess milk, then loosen crumbed and spread over a plate.
• In a large bowl, mix together with the beef, prosciutto, egg, parsley and Parmesan cheese. Mix well with your hands.
• Moisten your hands with a little water and form the meat into 8 meatballs of the same size. Be sure to pack them well and not leave any openings, otherwise the meatballs will fall apart while cooking. Place the flour into a small bowl and roll the meatballs lightly in the flour until evenly coated.
• In a large sauté pan with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Gently brown meatballs all over, allowing a nice, savory crust to form. Turn the heat to low.
• To the pan add the carrot and onion. Cook gently just until the vegetables start to brown, then pour in white wine and tomato sauce. Allow to cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes, nudging occasionally with a spatula to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Gently turn meatballs over, cover the pan, and finish cooking until they are cooked through, about 7 more minutes, again nudging to prevent sticking. If you like, you can remove the meatballs from the pan and continue cooking the sauce, uncovered, until it thickens.
• Allow meatballs to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve meatballs hot, covered with tomato sauce and garnished with parmesan cheese. Also, feel free to serve these bad boys on a sandwich with a little provolone, which is most definitely Italian!

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.