Serves: 8
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups bread crumbs (or GF alternative)
1 tbsp Italian seasoning (non-salted)
salt & pepper
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano
1 kg (32 oz) fresh, whole-milk ricotta
3 eggs
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed
1 tsp red chilli flake
10 basil leaves, divided
10 basil leaves, divided
4 cans (1.58 kg / 56 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
Some recipes are so unassuming, so simplistic looking, so innoccuous... until that first bite and then *bam*, your taste buds are assaulted with a sense of warmth, home, comfort, fullness. Enter: fresh ricotta polpette. This simple recipe packs a punch of nostalgia and cold winter day. Honestly, they're perfect any time of year. But springtime polpette bubbling in a cast iron pot on the stove has a hearty home feeling to it.
I may have wooed someone with this recipe. I hope he's doing alright.
So here's to you wooeing yourself! Please buy fresh ricotta...not the tubbed stuff. I promise you--really really promise, that you will not regret the hassle. Really, truly. Call me if you can't find fresh ricotta and I will literally call the shops in your area of the world and find out where you can get some.
This is the perfect aforementioned dish because the tart tomato softens with the spiced oil and hearty, cheesy ricotta balls. All three Italian flag colours shine so brightly in this dish.
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
2 cups bread crumbs (or GF alternative)
1 tbsp Italian seasoning (non-salted)
salt & pepper
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano
900 g (32 oz) fresh, whole-milk ricotta
3 eggs
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed
1 tsp red chilli flake
10 basil leaves, divided
10 basil leaves, divided
4 cans (1.58 kg / 56 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 180 C / 350 F (or alternatively use an air fryer-instructions below). In a medium bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, Romano/parmesan, 2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, and parsley until well blended.
3. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients until well-incorporated into a polpette batter.
4. Pinch off about 2 tbsp of polpette dough and roll them into 2 inch (5 cm) balls that weigh about 35-40g (1.2-1.4 oz) and place them on a lined baking sheet. This will make 35-40 balls.
5. Bake the polpette until slightly browned with a firmer exterior (5-10 minutes). If using an air fryer, cook at 180 C / 350 F for 7 minutes. Once baked, remove from heat source and set aside.
6. In a small saucepan, on the lowest heat possible, add olive oil, garlic, red chilli flake, and 5 torn basil leaves.
7. Cook the oil so the flavours infuse and until the garlic turns golden brown (10 minutes). Remove the oil from the heat immediately.
8. Meanwhile, in a large pot or dutch oven on high heat, add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 cups (475 ml) water, 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp black pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
9. Strain the oil into the red sauce and discard the basil leaves and garlic.
10. Once the sauce is simmering, gently spoon the polpette into the sauce so they’re coated in sauce. Cover the pot with a lid, continuing to cook until the polpette are cooked through (5 minutes), gently shaking the pot from side to side to mix the polpette.
11. Once the polpette are cooked through, turn off the heat, spoon the polpette onto a plate and pour sauce over them. Top with remaining basil and extra Romano/parmesan.
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