These are easy and you can add a little more or less of each ingredient according to your preference without it ruining the dish. I make it a little different each time.
INGREDIENTS:
POLPETTE
1.5 cups breadcrumbs
1.5 cups Parmesan cheese
1/2 or 3/4 cup chopped parsley (depending on how much you like herbs)
1/4 or 1/2 cup chopped oregano (again, to your preference)
600g minced meat (or a combination of 400g meat and 200g raw sausage or pork)
2 small eggs
12 grinds of sea salt
12 grinds of pepper
12 shakes of nutmeg
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup olive oil
SAUCE
1 red onion
5 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic
2 cans crushed tomatoes
500g tomato passata
a few pinches of sea salt
METHOD:
- Combine breadcrumbs, meat, Parmesan, herbs, beaten eggs, nutmeg, salt, pepper in a big mixing bowl and squish together with your hands.
- Roll into compact balls and lightly roll in flour.
- Fry in a little olive oil in a large pan, shaking it around in circles to turn the polpette.
- When they are golden on the outside, turn off the heat, leave the polpette and make your sauce.
- Fry chopped onion in a little olive oil, then when transparent, add the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and passata and add the salt then turn down the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- When the sauce is reduced, add your polpette, spoon a little sauce over the top, cover the pan if possible, and cook for five minutes more.
- Serve with extra Parmesan. Enjoy! (I suppose you could add pasta, even though it’s not traditionally Italian!)
