Polpette di Formaggio

Meatless Recipes | Sauces Recipes

Preparation Time: 1 hours

Start to Finish Time: 2 hours

Yield: 6 servings

Translated, it's "cheese balls"--like meatballs, but made with Parmesan and Romano cheeses instead. They're light and spongy. Buon appetito!

• 4 large eggs
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried parsley)
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Tomato Sauce

Beat eggs well. Grate garlic into beaten eggs. Add bread crumbs and mix well. Add cheeses, pepper, baking powder, and parsley. Add a few scrapes of nutmeg and stir well. The mixture should be like biscuit dough, easy to handle.

Form into golfball-sized balls. Flatten to 1-inch patties. Place on a sheet of waxed paper and set aside.

In a medium frypan over high heat, add oil and fry patties until browned, about 3 minutes each side.

In a large saucepan, bring Tomato Sauce to a simmer. Gently add cheese patties. Cover and cook 20 minutes. Patties will rise to the surface like dumplings. Serve with pasta and fresh Italian bread.

Makes 2 dozen polpette.

Tomato Sauce

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 good-sized scallion, chopped
• 1 red or green pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 small hot pepper
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1-1/2 cups whole peeled tomatoes, canned in purée
• 1-1/2 cups diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 6 basil leaves
• Fresh parsley, chopped

In a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, add oil and saute shallot, garlic, scallion, and peppers until softened and fragrant. Add black pepper and oregano. Add tomato paste. Cut whole tomatoes into pieces and add them with purée to sauce. Add diced tomatoes. Add broth, basil leaves, and a handful of parsley. Simmer 30 minutes.

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