spaghetti con le pallottine
spaghetti with pallottine
This is what 'spaghetti meatballs' looks like in Italy - not the ridiculously super-sized American meatballs you'll see on social media. These are the original 'pellets' or 'little polpette' of beef, from the region of Abruzzo which travelled with Italian immigrants to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
You can make the tiny meatballs (no more than 1cm in diameter) by hand, or use a stamp like the 'poldino polpettino' I used, which you can see further down this page in the picture gallery and which is readily available to buy online.
I used fresh supermarket chiller-cabinet spaghetti - an alternative is any of the dry spaghetti from Fratelli Camisa.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO
(scroll down for the full method)
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make the sauce
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make and fry the pallottine
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boil the pasta
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combine and serve
spaghetti with pallottine
FOR FOUR PEOPLE
INGREDIENTS
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400g beef mice
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2 tins tomato polpa (Mutti)
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1 clove garlic
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2 eggs
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100-150g pecorino / parmesan
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fresh basil
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nutmeg
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black pepper
PASTA
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400g spaghetti
MANTECATURA
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hardly any
METHOD
The base sauce for this dish is a simple tomato and garlic 'pomodoro.' Crush the garlic and fry gently in a splash of EVO for a few minutes, being careful not to let it colour or burn. Add the tomato polpa and season to taste, throw in some basil leaves, then allow to simmer for 15-20 min.
For the pallottine, grate the cheese and then combine with the meat using your hands. Break 2 eggs and add whites and yolks to the meat and combine.
Grate about half of a whole nutmeg kernel and combine into the meat mix.
At this point it's a good idea to test-fry a small amount of the meat mix and check you've got the balance of flavours you like. I like quite an obvious cheesy-nutmeggy flavour and the only way to be certain of getting what you like is to test small amounts like this and then add ingredients to the mix as required.
When you've got the flavour you like in the meat, let it rest in the fridge for about 20 mins before making the pallottine.
Make tiny polpette 1cm in diameter by hand or using a 'poldino polpettino' type stamp. Put the water for the pasta on to boil as you make and fry small batches of pallottine on a high heat, in EVO.
Add the cooked pallottine to the tomato sauce and keep it warm on a low heat.
Boil the past, transfer to the sauce and toss to combine.
Serve immediately with black pepper and pecorino.