Valentine’s Day in Italy at home

Watched Silvia Colloca, TV cooking program a while ago, making polpette. My grandma also did meatballs using pork and cooking it as soup and in congee. I am keen to try doing it in Italian way. Let’s cook this polpette for your loved one tomorrow.

All you need is minced beef, pasta sauce of your choice, fresh herbs from your garden if you have them, and vegetables. As usual I love changing the ingredients to suit me and to called it my own creation with what I have in my freezer and fridge.

Google: “Italy has its version of meatballs called polpettes, but they differ from their American counterpart in multiple ways. They are primarily eaten as a meal itself (plain) or in soups and made with any meat from turkey to fish. It is a traditional Italian meatball recipe that has become a staple of Italian home cooking.”  I am glad that I am cooking like an Italian. It were successful, flavourful, hearty and delicious. Let’s cook for your loved one!!!

Ingredients

2 slices of 5 days old stale bread, tear into bite size
500 g minced beef
300 g penne
200 g sliced mushrooms
1 bottle garlic onion and herb pasta sauce
1 can chopped tomatoes
3 green tomatoes
2 bay leaves (OPT)
1 carrot, cut to bite size
1 large egg
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 c water
1/2 c milk
1/4 c water
1/3 c Parmesan Pecorino cheese
1/2 c red wine
3 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs minced garlic
1/4 Tsp nutmeg
dried parsley
dried oregano
Italian seasoning
salted boiling water for cooking penne
salt
pepper

Method

Soak bread in milk and 1/4 c water for 10 minutes. In a large bowl mix together beef, egg, dried parsley, dried oregano, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Squeezed out the milk and water from bread and add to meat mixture with 3 tbs of the milk and water from the bread soaking in and mix well to combined.

Wash hand clean, use hand roll meat into small balls, place in line baking tray and set aside in fridge for 15 minutes. In sauce pan add oil on medium heat when oil is hot add onion and garlic cook until translucent. Add meatballs brown them all around in batches don’t over crowd them.

Remove to a lied plate before adding new batch of meatballs. Watch that onion and garlic don’t burnt. Once done all meatballs, add back the earlier browned one in and add wine. Let wine evaporated then add in bay leaves, pasta sauce, chopped tomatoes, carrot, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and 1 c water wash the bottle and can then pour in.

Bring to boil and turn to low heat, cover with a lid and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Checking the seasoning. In the last 15-18 minutes of 2 hours, cook penne in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside. Next in the last 5 minutes of 2 hours, add in cheese into the flavourful meatball in tomatoes sauce. Divide penne equally onto bowls, spoon meatballs with sauce onto the side of penne. Serve with a glass of red wine. Enjoy!!!

https://helenscchin.com/2022/02/13/penne-polpette-e-fungi/

#helenscchinrecipes
#pastalovers
#mainmeals
#cookingforfun
#foodiesplus