Polpette recipe
A Venetian classic, these bite-sized fried meatballs are traditionally eaten as a snack or as part of a sharing platter. Using a combination of pork and beef mince gives the meatballs a rich and juicy texture, while grated nutmeg, crushed fennel seeds and a sprinkle of Parmesan season them to perfection.
See method- Makes 16
- 10 mins to prepare and 15 mins to cook
- 122 calories / serving
Ingredients
- 1 slice white bread
- milk, for soaking
- 2 tbsp flour
- 75g dried breadcrumbs
- 3 eggs
- 250g minced pork
- 250g minced beef
- 50g Parmesan, grated
- handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- whole nutmeg, for grating
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ lemon, for squeezing
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Shop ingredientsEach serving contains
- Energy
- 510kJ 122.0kcal
- Fat
- 7g
- Saturates
- 2g
- Salt
- 0.3g
- Sugars
- 1g
of the Reference intake
Carbohydrate 6.2gProtein 9.9gFibre 0.3g
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Sign in to shopMethod
- Put the bread in a bowl, cover with milk; leave to soak a little.
- Meanwhile, scatter the flour and breadcrumbs over separate plates. Whisk 1 egg in bowl with a splash of water; set aside.
- Put the pork, minced beef, remaining eggs, Parmesan, parsley, a littlenutmeg,fennel seedsand garlic in a bowl; season. Squeeze the liquid out of the bread and add to the bowl. Mix with your hands until combined. Roll the mixture into 16 meatballs.
- Dust each meatball in the flour, then dip in the beaten egg and roll in the breadcrumbs until coated. Set aside on a plate.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the meatballs in batches for 8-10 mins, until cooked through and golden. Drain on kitchen paper, then squeeze over the lemon.
- See more Italian recipes
Freezing and defrosting guidelines
Cook, chill and then freeze well wrapped for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge overnight and warm through in a moderate oven before serving.
- For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.
