Beef Polpette with a Cheese Center

Name: Beef Polpette with a Cheese Center
Yield: makes 2 pounds
Ingredients: 1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs (page 4); 1/4 cup milk; 1 1/2 pounds ground beef; 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow or white onion; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; Scant 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 large egg; 1/2 cup shredded Fontina, provolone, or other melting cheese, shredded on the large holes of a box grater

January 24, 2012

I dub my Italianate beef meatballs with a nugget of cheese in the center polpette, which in Italian means “round food”—as in meatball, fish ball, rice ball—because it is a fun word to say and it describes their jolly, amenable nature. They accommodate meatball needs from cocktail-size tidbits for dipping into cherry tomato chutney (page 17) to large balls bouncing in a hearty red pasta sauce (page 73).

Recipe notes

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