Polpette in bianco

When brainstorming recipes for P&B, I’m often guided by a surge of inspiration or a flash of an idea, both of which translate into musings along the lines of “What would happen if…?” or “Would it work if…”? These Double Chocolate Coffee Oreo Cookies were born from this kind of spark (Could I put a cookie in a cookie?) as did this pasta al forno con ragù (what if there were a way to make a short-cut lasagne?!) Previously: could I cross Roman cacio e pepe with the Southern biscuit? Would the flavors of a brunch-y Mimosa translate well into a cake?

But not always.

While I’d like to tell you that everything I whip up comes about in a spontaneous fit of (glamorous) genius, what I bake or cook sometimes errs more on the side of practicality instead of creativity. What I make is often dictated by what I’ve got in my fridge or pantry, or what needs using — a lingering half-carton of heavy cream used for a pot pie leads me to make a vanilla-y pound cake, for example. The bottle of red wine opened for this chocolate cake goes into a risotto; the last few carrots languishing in the fridge are reborn as veggie burgers. These polpette in bianco are one such sensible, waste-not want-not sort of recipe.

First things first: polpette means meatballs in Italian, and in bianco implies an absence of a tomato sauce (bianco=white). Consider therefore these polpette to be blonder cousin of the more classic polpette al sugo, or meatballs in tomato sauce.

Following these divine pallotte cacio e ova, I found myself with an array of meatball-friendly ingredients on hand (remember: pallotte taste a lot like meatballs, minus the meat). My fridge boasted a large bunch of parsley — because even when you need just a tablespoon of a fresh herb, you have no choice but to buy the whole bouquet — a last garlic clove, and a wedge of Parmesan (though that last one is a standard fixture). My pantry possessed a container of breadcrumbs, bought just for the P.C.e.O. After a visit to the butcher for the carne macinata, I was ready to go, and voilà: pragmatic polpette in bianco, a recipe so delicious that it earned a spot on the blog.

These polpette are orbs of pure flavor: the Parmesan makes them punchy, and the garlic a little spicy. They’ve got a hint of herby, Spring-is-here thanks to the parsley, and — because I had a lemon kicking around the crisper that also needed using — they have a hint of citrus, to boot. The pan sauce keeps the meatballs juicy and tender, and is not to be wasted; use it to baste your polpette, mop it up with a piece of bread, or use a swirl of mashed potatoes as your vehicle to ensure not one drop goes to waste.

(Italian P.S.A: meatballs here in Italy are never served over spaghetti, or any other type of pasta for that matter. They are instead served as a secondo, or a second course, separate from pasta. However: if you want to eat them over polenta, pasta, in a sandwich, or make them smaller and serve them as an appetizer, I won’t tell).

A couple of notes: Feel free to leave out the lemon and extra parsley from the pan sauce, if you want something plainer. If you do indeed leave out the parsley and lemon from the sauce, you could also take this recipe in a different direction and use red wine instead of white. I didn’t photograph my sides here (I made them later!) but these are super tasty eaten with mashed potatoes to soak up all the delicious sauce. Roast potatoes are also nice, as are carrots, fennel, or peas. If you’re not a fan of garlic, you can leave the garlic out of the meatballs.

Looking for other secondi recipes? Click here.

POLPETTE IN BIANCO

Makes 12-14 meatballs.

Ingredients for meatballs:
500 grams (1 pound) ground pork, beef, veal mix
1 egg, beaten
60 grams (2.25 ounces, to be precise) freshly grated Parmesan
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
30 grams (about 4 tablespoons) of dry breadcrumbs
40mL (about 3 tablespoons) milk
Handful of chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Flour for dusting

Ingredients for pan sauce:
Olive oil
1 clove garlic
120mL (1/2 cup) water
120mL (1/2 cup) white wine
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Another tablespoon or so of chopped fresh parsley

Lemon zest/parsley for garnishing, if desired

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together the meat, egg, Parmesan, garlic, olive oil, salt, breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. You can start this process with a spoon, but know that the best way to get everything incorporated into the meat is with your hands, so get in there.

Portion out the meat mixture and roll them into little spheres — if you want to be precise, use a scale to make them all the same (each of mine were 45 grams). In any case, you will end up with 12-14 meatballs. Pour a little flour out into a shallow dish, and lightly coat each meatball - this will help them get a nice golden brown exterior. Set the meatballs aside while you work on your pan sauce.

Add some olive oil (eyeball it) and a smashed, peeled garlic clove to a large, wide pan. Over medium heat, let the garlic brown a little and become fragrant. Place all the meatballs in the pan, and let them cook on one side for about 3 minutes, undisturbed. When the 3 minutes are up, flip them gently to the other side — kitchen tongs are useful for this. Let them cook for another 3 minutes on the other side.

Add the water and wine to the pan and let it reduce for about 10-12 minutes. Add in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley, and let it cook a five or so minutes more. The meatballs should be cooked throughout by this point (but cut one open to check, if you’d prefer). Serve immediately with the pan sauce and some extra lemon zest over the top, if you’d like.