Homemade Polpette with Fagiolini alla Peperonata

Styling: Anita Parise
Blog: Anita Parise
Photography & Video: Anita Parise
Recipe & Inspiration: Traditional home style recipes and queries from our fabulous customers when shopping in store

Hi there Clubbers!

We hope you have made a fantastic start to the week so far!  I am still reveling in all the delectable goods I sampled at the Good Food and Wine Show in Perth over the weekend.  What a great event!  Renee and I decided to check it out and we were not disappointed!  We shared some yummy treats from the Must Wine Bar at the Let’s Eat. Citi Dining Pop-up, which included the charcuterie plate and the Yanmah pork sausage, soft polenta & Manjimup Black Truffle, Bravo apple and relish.  We also enjoyed a few glasses of prosecco from De Bortoli Wines.  We were lucky enough to catch Chef Miguel Maestre from Channel 10’s The Living Room ‘perform’ on stage with his fave cooking buddy and friend Carlos: talking about ‘passata’ of all things and cooking with olive oil. He is ‘bery Spanish,’ talented and extremely entertaining!  Overall, we were impressed with how many fabulous local and interstate exhibitors there were – both Renee and I did not leave empty handed!

These last few weeks we have been listening to you and have heard on the grapevine that you’ve been craving a classic meatball recipe.  We set to work straight away and I had such an eventful week cooking up a storm for you all, in order to share with you the best ‘polpette’ recipe I know. The recipe is also a family favourite of mine and definitely a winner with the kids.  It is so versatile that you can eat it as a complete meal or on its own with a side of vegetables.  However you prefer to eat your meatballs, this is a delicious recipe to add to your repertoire.

There are a few tips that I have added in the method section of the recipe to ensure you end up with a beautiful flavoured sauce, along with the perfectly shaped ball.  Consistency is key – if you make them all the same size they will all cook at the same rate.  This recipe also yields a large quantity of meatballs so you can pop them in the freezer and you have some for next time!

 

As for the vegetable dish … this is not a traditional peperonata, but it is delicious and very satisfying.  A perfect addition to ‘Meat free Mondays’ or like we have done, added it as the perfect side dish.  Versatile, fresh and above all, it uses many of WA’s finest ingredients.  What more could you love?!

We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.  Remember to let us know if there is anything you would like to see recipe wise in the coming months.  **SPOILER ALERT**  We have a super Father’s Day recipe coming soon that showcases a marvelous West Australian jewel.  Make sure you are on the lookout for this!

Until then,

Ciao for now and Buon Appetito!

Anita, Renee and the GR Team


Ingredients

  • 500g of pork mince - minced once (for polpette). Ask your butcher to do this for you.
  • 500g of veal mince - minced once (for polpette)
  • ½ large bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped finely (for polpette)
  • 2-3 sprigs of basil (leaves only), chopped finely (for polpette)
  • ½ cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese (for polpette)
  • 1 x large free range egg - fresh is even better! (for polpette)
  • ½ cup of breadcrumbs (for polpette)
  • A good pinch of salt and pepper to season (for polpette)
  • 2 x ripe Roma tomatoes (for peperonata)
  • 1 x large red capsicum, seeded and cut into strips (for peperonata)
  • 1 x large yellow capsicum, seeded and cut into strips (for peperonata)
  • 1 x onion, sliced (for peperonata)
  • 1-2 x cloves of garlic, sliced (for peperonata)
  • 375gms approx. of green bean (for peperonata)
  • 1 x cup of green peas (for peperonata)
  • 2 -3 tbs of olive oil (for peperonata)
  • Salt and pepper to taste (for peperonata)
  • 2 x heaped tbs of fresh oregano, chopped (for peperonata)

Method

You might ask "why get your mince ‘minced’ only once?" I believe that it yields a juicer and more ‘plump’ polpetta. Try it and see for yourself! … We would love to hear your thoughts …

These polpette are best enjoyed in a simple sauce. I often make this sauce earlier so that when the meatballs are ready, I can just drop them in the sugo and they cook in no time at all. My preference is to cook the polpette for a lengthy period on a very low flame to enable all the flavours to enhance the depth of the sauce!

To make a simple sugo, fry off a finely chopped onion and a clove of garlic. Next, add in your favourite bottle or two of passata (I use our home made passata). Note: if you are using canned tomatoes and passata, please cook the tomatoes for at least 45 minutes before adding the passata! This will allow the flavour to be more authentic. After this you can add the polpette and cook on a very low flame for at least 45 minutes. I also like to add in some pork ribs – add these in when you are frying off the onions and brown them well. Then continue as per the instructions above.

This sauce can be enjoyed as a main meal with polpette and different cuts of meat on its own, or tossed through some light and delicate pasta such as pappardelle. We opted to serve our polpette as a complete meal: served with GR pappardelle and a both healthy and unique vegetable side dish. Oh so very Italian of us :)!

  • To make the polpette, start by adding all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix very well to combine.
  • Take a heaped teaspoon of the mixture and on lightly oiled hands, roll the mixture into a small to medium sized ball. The mixture should hold together as you are rolling them into meatballs with minimal mixture left on your hands. If the mixture is too sticky/wet or is not holding its form, reduce the moisture by adding a touch more of the breadcrumbs to the mixture.
  • Note: This mixture yields approximately 38 polpette.
  • To make the peperonata, cut an “X” in the top of the tomatoes and place into a saucepan of boiling water for about 5-10 seconds. This will help the skin peel right off. Chop and place the tomatoes into a deep large frying pan.
  • Next, thinly slice the onions and garlic and add to the olive oil in the frying pan. Sautee these until the onion is translucent – being careful not to burn the garlic.
  • Meanwhile deseed the capsicums and slice into thin strips. Add these to the tomato and onion mixture. Turn the flame down and place a lid on the vegies to help soften them. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Mix every now and again to ensure it does not stick. Cook the vegetables for approximately 30 minutes.
  • During this time, trim the ends of the beans and cook for approximately 3 minutes in boiling, salted water. Drain and run under cold water to retain the colour. Add the beans to the tomato and capsicum mixture.
  • At this stage, add the green peas and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes on a low heat with the lid on. Again, mixing well to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom. Finally add the chopped oregano and you are ready to serve!
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