Polpete


Polpete
The polpete are the delicious meatballs of the Italian cuisine, softer than the classic meatballs because they contain breadcrumbs moistened with milk.
33 K 5/5 (1 reviews)
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Last modified on: April 8th 2023
For 25 pieces, you will need:

Change these quantities to make:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 30 min.
Resting: 1 hour
Cooking: 25 min.
All in all: 1 hour 55 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 5 min.
Polpete : Stage 1

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.
Polpete : Stage 2
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.
Polpete : Stage 3
Add the milk-soaked bread, squeezed between your hands, grated 50 g Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano) and 2 eggs.

Stage 4 - 3 min.
Polpete : Stage 4
Mix thoroughly.

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

Stage 5
Polpete : Stage 5
...until you get...

Stage 6 - 1 hour
Polpete : Stage 6
...a homogeneous mixture.

Let rest 1 hour in the refrigerator if possible.

Stage 7 - 10 min.
Polpete : Stage 7
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.
Polpete : Stage 8

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.
Polpete : Stage 9
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.
Polpete : Stage 10
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.
Polpete : Stage 11
Add the previously set aside meatballs, sprinkle with tomatoes and let them warm up slowly.

Stage 12 - 2 min.
Polpete : Stage 12
Just before serving, remove and discard thyme, garlic clove and bay leaves.

Check seasoning.

Stage 13
Polpete : 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
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe310 RDI=120 %1,750 RDI=170 %180 RDI=30 %2,170 RDI=110 %9,080 RDI: 110 %
Per 100 g30 RDI=10 %150 RDI=10 %20 RDI=2 %190 RDI=9 %780 RDI: 9 %
Per piece10 RDI=5 %70 RDI=7 %7 RDI=1 %90 RDI=4 %360 RDI: 4 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: Gluten, milk, egg
How much will it cost?
  • For 25 pieces : 7.20 €
  • Per piece : 0.30 €

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)
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