Lenten 'Meatballs' - Polpette Della Quaresima

by Gennaro Contaldo, featured in Gennaro's Hidden Italy

Published by Pavilion

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Introduction

When I was a child, we would often have polpette (dumplings), made from stale bread and cheese, especially on Fridays and during Lent when meat was forbidden. To me, it’s a shame that this dish has declined in popularity over the years, with the preference for minced meat taking centre stage in most meatball recipes, as here, the bread and ricotta make the polpette so soft they almost melt in your mouth. This is delicious cooked in a tomato sauce and served with a green side salad for a meat-free meal.

For US measures and ingredient names, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

Gennaro's Hidden Italy

Image of Gennaro Contaldo's Lenten 'Meatballs' — Photo by David Loftus

Ingredients

Makes: Approx. 12

Metric U.S.

FOR THE POLPETTE

140 grams stale bread (grated or very finely chopped)
40 grams grated Parmesan cheese
300 grams ricotta cheese (well-drained)
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
handful of flatleaf parsley (finely chopped)

FOR THE SAUCE

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves (left whole and squashed)
650 millilitres tomato passata
8 basil leaves (plus extra for serving)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE POLPETTE

5 ounces stale bread (grated or very finely chopped)
1½ ounces grated Parmesan cheese
10½ ounces ricotta cheese (well-drained)
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
handful of Italian parsley (finely chopped)

FOR THE SAUCE

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves (left whole and squashed)
22 fluid ounces tomato passata
8 basil leaves (plus extra for serving)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Lenten 'Meatballs' - Polpette Della Quaresima is a guest recipe by Gennaro Contaldo so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

First make the polpette. In a large bowl, combine the bread, Parmesan, ricotta, eggs, garlic and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, take pieces of the mixture and roll into balls, roughly the size of golf balls – approx. 40 g/1½ oz each in weight. Set aside.
In a pan (large enough to accommodate the polpette), place the olive oil over a medium heat and sweat the garlic cloves for a minute. Add the tomato passata, along with a little water from rinsing the jar or carton, and the basil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce begins to bubble, then add the polpette, cover with a lid and cook over a medium-low heat for 20 minutes, checking from time to time to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and gently covering them with the tomato sauce.
At the end of the cooking time, increase the heat and cook for a minute or so until the sauce reduces a little.
Remove from the heat and serve with extra basil leaves scattered on top.

First make the polpette. In a large bowl, combine the bread, Parmesan, ricotta, eggs, garlic and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, take pieces of the mixture and roll into balls, roughly the size of golf balls – approx. 40 g/1½ oz each in weight. Set aside.
In a pan (large enough to accommodate the polpette), place the olive oil over a medium heat and sweat the garlic cloves for a minute. Add the tomato passata, along with a little water from rinsing the jar or carton, and the basil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce begins to bubble, then add the polpette, cover with a lid and cook over a medium-low heat for 20 minutes, checking from time to time to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and gently covering them with the tomato sauce.
At the end of the cooking time, increase the heat and cook for a minute or so until the sauce reduces a little.
Remove from the heat and serve with extra basil leaves scattered on top.