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Polpete

The polpete are the delicious meatballs of the Italian cuisine, softer than the classic meatballs because they contain breadcrumbs moistened with milk.

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Last modified on: April 8^th 2023

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For 25 pieces, you will need:

1 3 slices bread
2 1 glass milk
3 300 g minced beef
4 ½ onion
5 parsley
6 50 g Parmigiano reggiano (Parmesan)
7 2 eggs
8 4 tablespoons olive oil
9 1 shallot
10 2 bayleaves
11 1 sprig thyme
12 1 garlic clove
13 300 g peeled and chopped tomatoes
14 salt
15 pepper
Total weight: 1,160 grams

Change these quantities to make: 25 pieces 50 pieces 75 pieces

Change measures: Metric

Metric weight Metric volumes

How long does it take?

Time required for this recipe:

Preparation	Resting	Cooking	Start to finish
30 min.	1 hour	21 min.	1 hour 51 min.

At what time:

When will I finish if I start the recipe at ... ?
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Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 5 min.

Making the meat balls

Remove the crust from 3 slices bread (use it in another recipe), put the crumb only in a bowl and sprinkle it with 1 glass milk.

Let it soak in.

Stage 2 - 5 min.

In the meantime, in a salad bowl, pour 300 g minced beef, ½ onion finely chopped and parsley also chopped.

Salt and pepper.

Stage 3 - 5 min.

Add the milk-soaked bread, squeezed between your hands, grated 50 g Parmigiano reggiano (Parmesan) and 2 eggs.

Stage 4 - 3 min.

Mix thoroughly.

You can do it with a mixer, or simply by hand...

Stage 5

...until you get...

Stage 6 - 1 hour

...a homogeneous mixture.

Let rest 1 hour in the refrigerator if possible.

Stage 7 - 10 min.

Shape them into balls and place them on a baking sheet, possibly protected by a sheet of baking paper.

If you don't use them right away, you can freeze them at this stage: put the baking sheet in the freezer, and when the balls are frozen, transfer them to a closed plastic freezer bag.

Stage 8 - 5 min.

Cooking

In a large frying pan over medium heat, pour in 4 tablespoons olive oil and when it is hot add the dumplings, just brown them on each "face".

Put on hold in a plate

Stage 9 - 1 min.

In the same pan, add a little olive oil, then chopped 1 shallot, 2 bayleaves, 1 sprig thyme, 1 garlic clove, salt and pepper.

Cook for 1 minute, without browning.

Stage 10 - 10 min.

Pour in 300 g peeled and chopped tomatoes, add more salt and pepper, and let thicken gently for about 10 minutes.

Stage 11 - 5 min.

Add the previously set aside meatballs, sprinkle with tomatoes and let them warm up slowly.

Stage 12 - 2 min.

Just before serving, remove and discard thyme, garlic clove and bay leaves.

Check seasoning.

Stage 13

Serve the polpete with the side dish of your choice, in this case white rice, and a generous helping of tomato puree.

Remarks

In principle, popete is beef, but you can also put several meats together: beef + pork for example, or beef + veal.

Pecorino instead, or with it, Parmesan is also a very good option.

Keeping

1 or 2 days in the refrigerator, protected by a stretch film.

Source

Home made.

Nutritional information

Whole recipe
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
1,842 Kcal or 7,712 Kj	105 gr	127 gr	150 gr
92 %	40 %	12 %	23 %

Per 100 g
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
159 Kcal or 666 Kj	9 gr	11 gr	13 gr
8 %	3 %	1 %	2 %

Per piece
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
74 Kcal or 310 Kj	4 gr	5 gr	6 gr
4 %	2 %	<1 %	1 %

% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories or 8400 k-joules by day for a woman (change to a man).

Possible allergens in this recipe: Gluten, Milk, Egg

How much will it cost?

For 25 pieces : 7.17 €
Per piece : 0.29 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.

This recipe uses (among others)

	Minced beef: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Italian style gratin, Express chilli con carne, Gratin Parmentier, Moussaka, Enchiladas, ... All
	Peeled and chopped tomatoes: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Veal Marengo, Sunday night pasta, Sausages with baked beans, French style, Spinach and chick peas "à la milanaise", Rice à l'italienne, ... All
	Parmigiano reggiano (Parmesan): You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Vegetable tian, Green asparagus omelette, Spaghetti with mussels and basil, Leek and artichoke tart à la piémontaise, Raw beetroot salad, ... All
	Olive oil: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Potatoes with bacon and herbs, Spaghetti with smoked salmon, Madras rice, Pan-fried scallops and chanterelles with Noilly Prat sauce, Sautéed pork with mushrooms in a cream sauce., ... All

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