Professional Documents
Culture Documents
DaviD Rocco
Introduction
I
hese meatballs are outstanding because of the crust that you get when you fry
them and the gorgeous wine sauce that comes from deglazing the pan. Theyre
absolutely deliciousmoist and full of flavor, with a silky texture. Some meatball
recipes can be dry and heavy (I secretly love that kind too), but here the ricottas job
is to help bind the meat together and keep it moist. And let me tell you, my friends,
it does its job well. The sun-dried tomatoes add an explosion of sweetness.
For the Meatballs:
1 lb (500 g) extra-lean ground beef
3 1/2 oz (100 g) fresh ricotta cheese
1 egg
10 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup (250 mL) freshly grated
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
For the Meatballs: Put ground beef, ricotta, egg, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmigiano
and salt and pepper into a mixing bowl. Get your hands in the bowl and mix well
until the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
Roll bits of the mixture into the size and shape of golf balls and then give them a
gentle pat to slightly flatten them, so they can cook evenly. Now, to help with that
beautiful crust, lightly dredge them in flour, shaking off any excess.
For the Wine Sauce: In a large frying pan, on high heat,heat up the olive oil, and
when its very hot, add the meatballs, garlic and halved sun-dried tomatoes.
Fry meatballs until golden on both sides, but be careful that youre not burning your
garlic or sun-dried tomatoes. If they start to burn, remove them. Add the wine, and
if you have taken out the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, put them back in. When the
wine reaches a slight boil, lower the heat to medium and let the whole thing cook for 5
minutes, or until the wine is reduced by two-thirds and forms a nice, thick, sweet sauce.
If you want your polpetteintomato sauce, you can prepare them in one of two
ways: dredged in flour, fried and then finished in a simple tomato sauce for 5 minutes;
or slow cooked in sauce for 45 minutesjust dont dredge them in flour.
Per 46 persone
Secondi 303
5Main.indd 303
6/15/11 5:05 PM
TortaAllOlio dOliva
Olive Oil Cake
oull find this cake served at all times of the day in Tuscany, especially during
the olive oil season. A lot of family-run trattorias serve it with coffee in the
morning and then offer it as dessert at lunch and dinner. Its moist and simple, and
I absolutely love it.
1 large orange
5 eggs yolks
cup (175 mL) sugar, plus an additional 2 tbsp for sprinkling
cup (175 mL) extra-virgin olive oil,
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line a springform pan with parchment paper.
Zest the orange and finely chop the zest. Squeeze half the orange, and reserve
the juice.
Put the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and beat with your mixer on high speed
for about 2 minutes until creamy and pale.
Lower the speed and add the olive oil and orange juice, beating until
everything is combined. With a spatula or wooden spoon, slowly fold in the
flour until fully combined.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff
peaks. Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture a bit at a time, until everything is
combined. Dont overmix. Pour the batter into the springform pan. Pick up the pan
and gently knock it on the counter a few times to get out any air bubbles. Sprinkle
the top with sugar and pine nuts, and cook until the top is golden, about 45 minutes.
Per 10 persone
Dolci 353