Polpette Alla Casalinga

Submitted by Nana Chickens

"This recipe for meatballs is the best that I have discovered. It came from the cookbook, "The Cooking of Italy". It actually is a Time-Life book, that has amazing information on the history of Italian cooking along with the regional applications. My ex mother in-law, who was born and raised in Italy says it's pretty accurate. She was and still is an amazing cook and baker at the age of 88. I still call her for help on recipes. Whoever tries this recipe, I hope you enjoy these meatballs as much as my family does."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 2 slices French bread or 2 slices Italian bread, torn into small pieces
• 1⁄2 cup milk
• 1 lb beef chuck, ground twice
• 1⁄4 lb sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
• 6 tablespoons parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon peel, grated
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• olive oil or vegetable oil

directions

1. Soak the pieces of bread in 1/2 cup milk for 5 minutes, then squeeze them dry and discard the milk.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix vigorously with both hands or beat with a wooden spoon until all of the ingredients are well blended and the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
3. Shape the mixture into small balls about
4. 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
5. Lay the meatballs out in one layer on a flat tray or baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
6. Heat 1/4 cup of olive or vegetable oil in a heavy 10 to 12 inch skillet until a light haze forms over it.
7. Fry meatballs 5-6 at a time over moderately high heat, shaking the pan constantly to roll the balls and help keep them round.
8. In 8-10 minutes the meatballs would be brown outside a d show no trace of pink inside.
9. Add more olive or vegetable oil as needed.
10. Serve the meatballs hot in your favorite tomato sauce.

Reviews

[Chicagoland Chef du Jour]

4 thumbs up or 5***** from my family. We tasted them before and after throwing them in a marinara sauce, YUM. My husband proclaimed them, 'just like Mama Maria's" (our local fave pizza joint). So the good news is, 5****, the bad news is, I may not get to order them from Mama's any longer. Poor me. I followed the recipe to a 't', the only difference is I used spicy. Italian sausage and it rocked! It made 36 "balls of meat". P.S. I baked @400° for 21 minutes instead of frying.

 

[Kelly Jo T.]

I originally got this recipe from the actual cookbook 31 years ago. I've been making it ever since. My extra large family and I love it! I triple the recipe.

 

[K9 Owned]

These are 'drop to the floor, crawl to the door' awesome! I made them as written with the exception of baking them at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes. These are now my 'go to' meatballs. Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe!

 

[Diana Adcock]

I can't say that I have ever been a "huge" fan of meatballs. I like them but don't love them. These I love! Super easy to put together-they do stay very moist yet hold together well without being in any way tough. Fantastic flavor! For the sausage I used Hot Italian & ended up baking them rather than frying. (just cleaned the kitchen and stove top) 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then I turned off the oven and left them in for another 10 minutes. I got 45 meatballs that will be gobbled up in no time! Thanks for posting, Di ;-)

 

[Amberngriffinco]

I JUST made these. . I LOVE mild Italian Sausage.. prefer it on pizza too. My guys love meatballs: i don't.<br/><br/>This recipe combined the best of both worlds in my opinion! I get my sausage, they get their meatballs. Nice shape, so I don't have to go digging for pieces of sausage in my pasta! The taste was perfect and, I will now make these instead of the hassle of making both each time!<br/><br/>Nana, thank you! it's awesome!!!!