Baby Meat Balls
Anna says... 23/05/2012
Polpettine di carne
My mother always said that I shouldn’t choose meatballs when going to a restaurant, because they would be made with second choice ingredients. I must agree! But once you try my meatballs, you will be convinced that they can be served as a very nice dish, even to a fussy guest.
What you need to serve 6 people is:
Ingredients:
450 gr. / 1 lb. of Minced meat (beef, pork or veal)
4 / 5 slices of Mortadella or ham
4 / 5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 Egg
1 / 2 tablespoons of chopped Parsley
4 slices of White bread (or 2 rolls)
Water to soak the bread
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil and butter for frying
500 ml. passata
Method:
Soak the white bread in water, mash it with a fork and squeeze of the excess water.
Chop the mortadella and the parsley, mix them with the mince and the bread. Add the parmesan cheese and the egg. Season with salt and pepper, and mix everything with your hands.
Please note that it is essential to combine the ingredients very carefully by working them by hand.
Shape the mixture into little balls.
Heat enough olive oil and butter in a large frying pan to coat the pan.
When hot, put the meatballs in and brown them on all sides, turning them gently with two forks, taking care not to pierce them.
If you have a large number of meatballs you could fry them in batches, returning them all to the frying pan before adding the tomato sauce.
Add the tomato sauce and simmer for a few minutes, adding some fresh basil.
Meatballs can be made in advance, frozen and reheated without harm.
Author: Anna