Polpettone Alla Toscano Or Tuscan Meatballs Recipes

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!

IRIS' TUSCAN MEATBALLS - {POLPETTINE ALLA IRIS} RECIPE

Steps:

• Grind the roast beef, mortadella, and parsley in a food processor until it is very fine. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Drain the water from the porcini, pat them dry and chop them coarsely. Melt the butter in a small saute pan and cook the porcini for 2 or 3 minutes and then add them to the meat. Stir in the eggs, cheese, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and the besciamella sauce. Mix all the ingredients until well combined. Use about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture to form each meatball. Place them on a baking sheet. Or make smaller meatballs as desired. Place some flour on a plate. Lightly roll each meatball in the flour; shake off the excess and place them on a platter. Cover and refrigerate them for at least 1 hour. Heat 3 cups of the oil in a deep fryer or heavy duty pot and when the oil registers 375 degrees, it is ready for frying. Fry the meatballs a few at a time in the oil until they are golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined tray to drain. Serve the meatballs warm on a bed of arugola leaves. Note: Iris used olive oil to fry the meatballs but sunflower oil works well too and gives a slightly lighter taste. The meatballs will cook faster if you use a small size skillet. This recipe yields 8 to 10 second course servings or 24 servings as part of an antipasto.