Recipes by their Ingredients

pecorino romano cheese

  • Meatballs, Roberts

    Meatballs, Roberts
    Meatballs, Roberts
    (Serves)

    2 lbs ground beef
    1 lb ground veal
    1 lb ground pork
    2 eggs, beaten
    ½ Italian parsley, chopped fine
    6 fresh basil leaves, minced
    1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
    1 tblsp black pepper, ground
    1½ tbslp salt
    6 cloves garlic, minced
    1½ cups day old Italian bread


    NOTES:
     

    Pre-heat oven to 350°

    Mix thoroughly all the ingredients.

    Roll small size meatballs, 1½ inches in diameter, careful not to pack them too tight.

    While it does take time to roll 100 meatballs, you will now have quality meatballs for months! Put on some nice meatball rolling music!
    On a large baking sheet place the meatballs close, but not touching, you could probably fit close to 100 on a normal baking sheet.

    Bake for 15 minutes.

    If you are going to add the meatballs to a pot of red sauce you can remove the meatballs from the oven 5 minutes earlier as they will finish cooking in the sauce.

    Serve with pasta with parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese) or on a roll with mozzerella cheese, or simply grab one with your fork and walk around eating it. Yum!

  • Polpette di Melanzane (Eggplant Meatballs)

    Polpette di Melanzane Eggplant Meatballs
    Polpette di Melanzane
    (Makes 12-15)

    Salt
    26 oz (750g) eggplant, cut into ½ inch cubes
    ⅓ cup grated pecorino cheese
    ⅓ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
    2 large eggs
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1 tblsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
    Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
    About ¾ cup bread crumbs, plus extra for breading
    Vegetable oil for frying


    NOTES: I used 2 of the large long chinese eggplants, they weighed exactly 26oz!, blasphemy I know! The smaller eggplants have more flavor. I did have good experience freezing them with no sauce. I used a seal-a-meal and stopped the air from sucking out once the initial air was out this way it did not mush the polpette. They were in the freezer only a few weeks but I am sure they will last a few months frozen. They can also be reheated in the sauce. Original recipe came from Pasta Grammar, they have lots of authentic Italian food on YouTube and their website.

    Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously. Add the cubed eggplant and boil for about 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is very tender. Drain and let cool to the touch.

    Squeeze the excess water out of the eggplant and place it in a large mixing bowl. Add the cheeses, eggs, garlic, parsley, plenty of black pepper, and a big pinch of salt. Add about half of the bread crumbs and begin mixing the ingredients by hand.

    Continue to add more bread crumbs until the mixture is soft and moldable, but not too wet or sticky. The amount of breadcrumbs needed will vary, so trust your judgment.

    Fill a deep pan with about 1 inch of vegetable oil and heat over med/high heat. Meanwhile, form the meatball mix into about 15 polpette. Form them into balls about 1½ to 2 inches in diameter. Dust the polpette in bread crumbs.

    Once the oil is at 350°F., working in batches, carefully drop the eggplant polpette into the pan, like anything deep fried, don't overcrowd the pan, I fried 4-6 at a time. Turn them frequently and fry until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes in total. Remove to a paper towel to drain.

    Serve the polpette warm and fresh. Buon appetito!