Polpette Molisane · Polpette al Sugo

Molise · secondo · serves 4 · 90 min total · easy

Sunday at nonna's — meatballs are eaten as a secondo on their own, never tossed in with the pasta. That's Italian-American.

Ingredients

• 400 g ground beef
• 200 g ground pork
• 80 g crustless bread, soaked in milk
• 1 egg egg
• 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 handful parsley
• 700 g tomato passata
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 handful basil
• 1 small onion

Method

1. Squeeze bread dry. Combine with beef, pork, egg, Parmigiano, mashed garlic, parsley, salt, pepper.
2. Shape into walnut-sized balls.
3. Brown meatballs in olive oil. Lift out.
4. Soffritto of onion in the same pan. Add passata, simmer 15 minutes.
5. Return meatballs to the sauce. Cook covered 30 minutes — should be tender.
6. Off heat, torn basil. Serve with bread or over spaghetti as a separate course.

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