Polpette – is a traditional Italian dish, balls made of meat and cheese that are baked in the oven. The word "polpette" itself comes from the Italian word "polpa", which means "meat mass" or "mince." The history of the dish has ancient roots and is connected to the traditions of family cooking and household management. Each Italian family had its own version of the recipe, passed down from generation to generation.
Polpette were often made with slightly dried bread or rolls, which were used to bind the meat mixture into a whole. They were a simple and economical way to prepare meat, providing a hearty and tasty meal for the whole family.
Polpette remain a popular dish both in Italy and beyond. These meatballs have taken on various variations depending on the region and culinary traditions. So we decided to prepare their variation typical of the Neapolitan region.
We will need:
700 g of beef
100 g of bread crumb
100 ml of milk
3 cloves of garlic
50 g of parmesan (can be more, 80-100, we just didn't have enough at the time of cooking)
1 egg
nutmeg (⅓ teaspoon)
basil and oregano (½ teaspoon each)
flour for coating the meatballs
oil for frying
marinara sauce for the baking stage (we detailed how to prepare it here). This is our improvisation, as you can also bake them in a creamy sauce, in wine (which evaporates after frying the polpette), or simply pour ketchup over them ;)
продуктовий набір
Step 1: Preparing the ingredients
Cut the beef into portion-sized pieces, pass it through a meat grinder twice, using a fine sieve (this will give the structure of the finished ball fantastic tenderness).
ріжемо на порційні шматки
перше перемелювання (м'яса)
друге перемелювання (вже фаршу)
Cut the bread crumb into small cubes (with a side of up to 0.5 cm), soak in milk, and mix thoroughly.
порізана м'якоть батона
Finely chop the garlic.
порізка часнику
Grate the parmesan on a fine grater.
натираємо пармезан на дрібній терці
Beat the egg with a fork.
In one container, thoroughly mix all the ingredients until homogeneous, add salt (but here it is important to salt moderately, as parmesan is already a salty cheese).
все це маємо вимішати
...до такої консистенції
Step 2: Forming the meatballs and frying
To ensure all the balls are approximately the same size, it is advisable to use kitchen scales. Each of our balls weighs about 50 grams, and only the last 2 weighed 45 grams each.
розкатані кульки
Roll the balls, coat them in flour.
обвалюємо кожну кульку в борошні
формуємо ооооось такі кульки
Heat the pan, add enough oil for frying, and start frying our balls on high heat on all sides until golden brown. You can use tongs for quick turning of the meatballs in the pan.
викладаємо на пательню
After frying, the polpette will be raw inside, but will retain their juices in the flour crust. This will help keep them juicy and prevent them from becoming too dry during baking.
Step 3: Baking
Place the fried polpette in a baking dish, evenly drizzle them with marinara sauce and add about 100 ml of water.
виклали в форму
додаємо соус марінара
розприділяємо по всім м'ясним кулькам, додаємо води
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, using the convection mode (with both top and bottom heating elements on).
за кілька секунд до початку запіканн
Bake for 30 minutes.
після запікання
Our Neapolitan polpette are ready.
ось так польпетте виглядають у розрізі
Serve the polpette with pasta.
приклад презентації
з пастою і вином!
Bon appétit! ;)
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