Polpette – aka meatballs – is a staple in much of Italy and can be found on the menu at any old-school restaurant in Rome. Polpette alla Romana is served as both an antipasto (appetizer) and as a secondo (main course), like so many classic foods in Italy, which elevate the simple to something sublime with seemingly no effort at all.
Americans and Italians both love meatballs, although they differ on how they should be served. Many American and Italian restaurants in America consider spaghetti and meatballs an iconic Italian dish. It is undoubtedly true that Italians are prominent in both meatballs and spaghetti, but they do not serve them together. Pasta is typically a course of its own – if you ask for spaghetti and meatballs in Rome, or anywhere in Italy, they might think that you are quite peculiar. To quote the great 1996 film Big Night, Stanley Tucci’s character, Secondo, declares, “Sometimes the spaghetti likes to be alone.”
Meatballs are served solo as an appetizer and are frequently paired with Gnocchi alla Romana or roasted potatoes in Rome. They are eaten for lunch or dinner, and you can always enjoy pasta as a first course. When in Rome…
One last note on meatballs in America is the troubling practice of serving meatballs that are sinkers – made nearly entirely of meat and frequently just one meat. These meatballs are served with pride, exclaiming that they are pure beef with no “fillers.” This is an excellent thing for crab cakes, as it should contain just enough bread to bind the crab. In Italy, the perfect meatball includes a generous portion of bread, spices, and cheese, making it seem light while still absolutely meaty. Cooking is all about balance. While a meatball should absolutely feature meat, the supporting cast of ingredients is present to make the dish the best it can be.
Recipe for Polpette alla Romana (Roman-Style Meatballs)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 3 cups Italian bread, cubed and dry (day old)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
- 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 eggs
- teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper
(Optional additions to the polpette include diced red onion, diced prosciutto or mortadella, and pine nuts.)
Cube the bread after removing the crust. The bread should be partly dry but not completely dry and hard. Soak these bread cubes in milk, tossing until the bread is all wet (add a small bit of water if needed). Let the soaked bread stand for 10 to 15 minutes, then squeeze out the liquid and add the bread to the meats in a large bowl. Mix the meat and bread well, kneading by hand or using a large mixer with a bread hook.
When the bread and meat are well combined, add the remaining ingredients and work them into the mixture. You can let this mix rest in the refrigerator (the preferred method) or roll it into balls just larger than a golf ball.
At this point, you can pan-fry the meatballs, bake them, or par-fry and finish in a simple tomato-based sauce (my preferred method). Polpette are equally good with a simple white wine, stock, and fresh herb sauce, as well as a roasted pepper sauce.
Serve your Italian meatballs with roasted potatoes or Gnocchi alla Romana. Wine pairings are plentiful, and I do recommend sticking with Italian wines, except for a bright, youthful California Zinfandel. Chianti is a great choice, as are Rosso Piceno, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, and Montefalco Rosso. If you want to feel like you are in Rome, try to find a Cori Rosso, Cesanese del Piglio or Ciliegiolo.
Do you want to better understand food and wine pairings? May we suggest Be A Beverage Expert (BABE), a guide to understanding wine, beer, spirits, and cocktails.