Fresh Polpette al Limone: Italian meatballs in lemon sauce
When you think of Italian meatballs, you probably immediately picture a large pot of bubbling tomato sauce. This classic dish is world-famous and much loved. But in Italian kitchens, there's another version entirely, one that gets by without tomatoes and is especially wonderful on warm days.
- 1 organic lemon
- 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 500g minced beef or mixed minced meat
- 50 g Parmesan (finely grated)
- 1 No
- 50 g breadcrumbs
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 100 ml dry white wine
- 250 ml chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 30 g cold butter
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Wash the lemon thoroughly with hot water, finely grate the zest, and squeeze out the juice. Chop the parsley.
- Mix together the minced meat, Parmesan cheese, egg, breadcrumbs, half the parsley, half the lemon zest, salt, and black pepper. Form into 16 small balls.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Fry the meatballs for 6-8 minutes until golden brown on all sides, then briefly remove them from the pan.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine and let it reduce for 2 minutes. Pour in the stock.
- Place the meatballs back in the pan. Cover and let them simmer over low heat for 8 minutes until fully cooked.
- Remove the meatballs briefly from the pan again. Stir in the lemon juice and gradually whisk the cold butter into the sauce.
- Season the lemon sauce with salt and black pepper. Place the meatballs back in the pan and coat them with the sauce.
- Sprinkle the remaining parsley and lemon zest over the top. Serve with a side dish.
Polpette al Limone: Italian meatballs with lemon, Parmesan cheese and a light sauce
The base for this dish is a well-seasoned meat mixture. You can use pure ground beef if you prefer a strong beef flavor. A mixture of beef and pork, thanks to the higher fat content of the pork, adds even more juiciness to the meatballs. For a typical Italian touch, knead grated Parmesan cheese and finely chopped parsley into the meat. The cheese provides a lovely savory flavor and plenty of umami. The real secret, however, is the fine zest of an organic lemon mixed directly into the meat mixture. The essential oils from the zest give the meatballs an intense aroma without the acidity making the meat tough.
When preparing the meatballs, it's best to proceed with a light touch. Gently shape the mixture into balls and don't press them too firmly. Loosely rolled meatballs remain significantly juicier during cooking and can later absorb the aromatic sauce much better. First, fry the meatballs in a little olive oil until golden brown on all sides. They don't need to be completely cooked through at this stage. Frying primarily creates delicious roasted flavors on the bottom of the pan. The rest is done later by the liquid, in which the meatballs gently simmer until they are perfectly cooked and wonderfully tender.
Once the meatballs have browned, briefly remove them from the pan. Deglaze the pan with a generous splash of white wine and good stock. Let the liquid reduce slightly so the alcohol evaporates and the flavors intensify. Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice to the sauce only at the very end. This way, the fruity and fresh character of the lemon is fully preserved and doesn't evaporate from overcooking. For the perfect consistency, stir in a few cubes of cold butter at the end. The butter will thicken the sauce slightly and give it a beautiful sheen. If you prefer to omit the alcohol, simply use more stock and season the sauce with an extra squeeze of lemon juice.
