Beef and Courgette Meatballs Cooked in Milk / Polpette di Manzo e Zucchine al Latte
We’ve just moved back to Italy. For a few months Tuscany will be our home from home and the local produce, osterias, shops, food markets, chefs, local stories and a modest kitchen that I’m in at the moment, will shape the way I cook and what we eat. This is my first proper cosy meal prepared in our new home, I hope you like it!
Serves 6:
- 600 g of finely minced beef
- 3 medium courgettes (use romanesco variety if possible), chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons of grated parmesan
- 1 egg
- 2-3 slices of a stale white bread
- salt
- pepper
- plain flour for coating
- olive oil for frying
- 150-200 ml of cream (double or single, as you wish)
- 150 ml of full fat milk plus some more for soaking the bread
- half an onion, preferably white, chopped
- some coarsely grated parmesan to garnish
Soak the bread with just enough milk until the bread turns soft.
Squeeze the bread in your hands to get rid of excess liquid.
Place the bread along with the minced beef in a large bowl.
Add the chopped courgettes, the grated parmesan and one egg. Season well with salt and pepper.
Mix all the ingredients (best to use your hands) until very well combined.
Roll the meatballs using the palms of your hands, roughly of the size of a large walnut, and coat them lightly with the flour.
In a large frying pan heat up (on a medium heat) about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, add the chopped onion and fry gently for about 5 minutes.
Gradually add the meatballs into the pan and brown them on both sides adding more oil if needed.
Don’t worry if the onion burns slightly, an extra layer of flavour is very welcome here.
Once the meatballs are browned on both sides pour in the cream followed by the milk.
Cook the meatballs on a lower heat, shaking the pan a little and turning the meatballs every now and then, for about 30 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through.
If in the meantime the sauce turns too dry add some water as you go along. Towards the end of cooking the sauce should have turned into a lovely golden dense hugging the meatballs consistency. Give it a taste and season it with some salt and pepper.
Serve the meatballs decorated with some grated parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil and perhaps a few fresh basil leaves. Some blanched green beans, plain tomato salad or grilled courgettes with a simple dressing make for a good accompaniment to this dish, and don’t forget about a few hunks of crunchy bread to mop up the juices.
