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Polpette di pane al sugo
Bread balls in tomato sauce
Polpette di pane: southern Italy's stale-bread balls with pecorino simmered in tomato sauce
ItalianWhen meat was a luxury, families in Calabria, Basilicata and Campania made "meatballs" from stale bread, eggs, pecorino, garlic and parsley, fried until crisp and then simmered in tomato sauce. These polpette are so good that they're still made today, as a Friday supper or as part of a Sunday spread, eaten with lots of bread to wipe up the sauce. Pecorino is usually made with animal rennet; a vegetarian hard cheese works. Chef's tip: squeeze the soaked bread really dry; wet bread makes polpette that break apart in the sauce.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the polpette
- 9 oz stale country breadcrusts removed
- ¾ cup milk or water
- 2 eggs
- 2 ⅞ oz pecorino or a vegetarian hard cheesegrated
- 1 clove garlicfinely chopped
- 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsleychopped
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 oz dried breadcrumbsif needed
- ¾ cup olive or sunflower oilfor frying
For the sauce
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Soak 9 oz stale country bread in ¾ cup milk or water for 5 minutes, then squeeze it very dry and crumble into a bowl.
5 minStep 2: Mix in 2 eggs, 2 ⅞ oz pecorino or a vegetarian hard cheese, 1 clove garlic, 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and ½ tsp black pepper. If the mixture is too soft to shape, add 1 oz dried breadcrumbs. Shape into 16 balls.
Step 3: Heat ¾ cup olive or sunflower oil in a frying pan and fry the polpette for 5–6 minutes, turning, until golden all over. Drain. Common mistake: turning them too early; let a crust form so they hold together.
6 minStep 4: Make the sauce: heat 2 tbsp olive oil and cook ½ onion for 5 minutes. Add 1 ½ lb passata, 6 basil leaves and ½ tsp salt and simmer for 10 minutes.
15 minStep 5: Add the polpette and simmer gently for 15 minutes, spooning sauce over them, until they are soft and soaked through. Serve hot.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does polpette di pane al sugo take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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