simona's Handcrafted polpette Recipe

calabria, italy

serves 6 amici

Infused with fresh, sweet tomato sauce, Simona's Calabrese "Polpette" aka Meatballs are soft, juicy and delicious. The sauce is homemade and the meatballs are handcrafted. Check out Simona's traditional recipe below!

As a child, Simona spent her time in the kitchen with her mother, Stella, learning how to cook the traditional recipes of her family and those of Calabria. Growing up, Simona's family raised pigs throughout the year and in January, they would slaughter the pigs and use every single part of the animal. To this day, Simona helps her family with the preparation of the meat from the pigs. Simona says her specialities are the sauce and the ribs. We ask Simona what her son's favorite recipe is and she declares with a glowing smile: "Le mie polpette!"

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion - diced
3 Bay Leaves
1 Stalk Celery - shredded
1 Carrot - shredded
2 lbs 10 oz of Whole Peeled Tomatoes
1/2 lb Ground Beef
2 Sprigs Parsley
1/2 Handful Breadcrumbs
1 Handful Finely-Grated Hard Sheep's Cheese, like Pecorino Romano
1 Eggs

ingredients

Tomato sauce:

In a deep sauce pan add 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 diced onion, 3 bay leaves, 1 shredded stalk of celery, and one shredded carrot. Place the pot over medium-high heat, occasionally stirring. This is your soffritto.
Once the onion is transparent, crush the tomatoes and add them and a pinch of salt to the soffritto.
When the sauce begins to boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and stir occasionally. After 15 minutes of simmering, cover the sauce and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes (sauce should still be at a simmer). Salt to taste.

Meatballs:

In a mixing bowl add the ground beef, 2 eggs, 2 sprigs of parsley, pinch of salt, one handful of bread crumbs, and one handful of pecorino.
Mix using your hands until all of the ingredients are even throughout.

combining the sauce and Meatballs:

After 45 minutes of cooking the sauce, add a ladle of the sauce ( ~ 1 cup) to the meatballs and incorporate the sauce into the meat.
Using your hands, shape the meatballs by rolling a golfball size of meat into a ball.
Once formed plop the meatballs into the sauce, cover the pot and cook over medium heat.

Made with Love Tip: Because the meatballs are very fragile, do not mix them with a cooking utensil, instead mix the pot by shaking it back and forth.