Polpettis the Italian tomato sauce
For my first culinary publication (following your votes in the poll last month) I propose a simple recipe but with guaranteed success! If like me, you have always wanted to drip tomato sauce with noodles and meatballs that can be seen in the movie “The Godfather“, try this recipe!
Time: 1:15
- 1 slice of bread
- 10 cl of milk
- 900 grams of minced veal shoulder (or 400 grams of veal shoulder + 400 grams of pork + 2 thick slices of pancetta)
- 110 grams grated Parmesan cheese (buy the whole, it is usually better quality)
- 1 egg
- 1 large onion
- 1 garlic
- 500 grams of tomatoes
- 4 sun-dried tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- 15 cl of olive oil
- Salt, pepper, bay leaf, herbs, fresh parsley, fresh basil
- A blender
Preparation of the recipe:
- For the tomato sauce:
- Put the tomatoes in a pan of water, heat until the skin comes off
- Peel and core two-thirds of tomatoes. (Remove the tails of all tomatoes)
- Chop onion and garlic. Then put to fry in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper. Once colored remove.
- Place all (tomato + onion + garlic) in a blender. Add the tomato to the mix. Mix everything
- Pour into a saucepan with the bay leaf, herbs, parsley (half), fresh basil, salt, pepper and a drizzle of oil. Add 60cl of water and then put to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes
For Polpetti:
- Put the slice of bread soaked in milk
- Take the slices of pancetta (if using) and cut into cubes
- Chop the two meats (if you put two)
- Grate the parmesan
- Mix all the meats, pancetta, parmesan, parsley, egg, bread slice (with the remaining milk). Season it (salt, pepper) and mix well.
- Form balls of the desired size and arrange them in a pan.
- Pour the tomato sauce over the prepared meatballs.
- Place over medium heat for 10 minutes, then on low heat for 15 minutes.
- Serve hot over spaghetti or tagliatelle!
Concerning the wine and food pairing:
For the agreement I encourage local wines such as Chianti or Barbera d’Asti. For those who prefer French wines this dish can also match very well with a Beaujolais, a Graves or any other fruity red wines (or why not a Rosé).
Bon appetit! Enjoy!
Jonathan Choukroun Chicheportiche