Polpettone

I will be happy to provide you with the recipe for polpettone, a classic dish of Italian cuisine. Polpettone can vary in its regional recipes, but I will provide you with a traditional version that you can adapt according to your tastes.

Ingredients

• 700g ground meat (beef or a mix of beef and pork for more flavor)
• 100g stale bread
• 100ml milk
• 2 eggs
• 50g grated Parmesan
• 2 garlic cloves
• A bunch of fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Breadcrumbs to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Slices of pancetta (optional)

Preparation

1. Soak the stale bread in a bowl with the milk, letting it soften for a few minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix the ground meat with the eggs, grated Parmesan, salt and pepper.
3. Squeeze the soaked bread and add it to the meat mixture along with the finely chopped garlic and chopped fresh parsley.
4. Work everything with your hands until you get a homogeneous mixture; if it’s too wet you can add a little breadcrumbs to make the mixture more compact.
5. Take a baking dish and grease the bottom with extra virgin olive oil.
6. Shape the mixture into a loaf and place it in the baking dish. If you like, you can cover the outside of the polpettone with slices of pancetta for an extra layer of flavor and crispiness.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 1 hour or until the polpettone is golden on the surface and cooked inside.
8. Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Trivia

Polpettone, often confused with the meatball due to the similar name, is actually a very different dish. Its origins are lost in history, and it seems to be a derivative of the Roman “pulmentum”, an ancient porridge-based food. Each region of Italy then has its own variant, from the stewed one to the one stuffed with vegetables, cheeses, and hard-boiled eggs.