Mini Meatballs | Cocktail Meatballs
Photo Credit
Sam Jones/Quinn Brein
Yield
Yield: about 3 dozen meatballs
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Our Mini Meatball recipe is called “Polpettini.” They may be little meatballs, but they are big on flavor! Get ready for a perfect blend of breadcrumbs, cheese, and meat. Frying the meatballs adds an unexpected but pleasant crunch.
“Polpettini” refers to an Italian meatball that is smaller than the Italian-American versions and traditionally served on spoons as a second course without pasta! However, we think they also make excellent cocktail meatballs.
Ingredients
1/4 pound ground beef
1/4 pound ground pork
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 and 1/2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup (1/2 ounce) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Heat oven to 200 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, garlic, bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper. Form small balls and place on a baking sheet.
Heat a cast-iron skillet with 1/4 inch olive oil over high setting. Fry meatballs about 1 minute per side, moving them around in pan to brown lightly on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to oven until you’ve cooked all meatballs.
To serve as an appetizer, 12 pieces at a time, place one meatball onto each of 12 decorative spoons and top with 1 to 2 teaspoons of Garlicky Tomato Sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley. Place a dozen spoons in a circle (handles pointing out) on a serving platter and serve immediately.
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 jar tomato puree
kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, saute garlic in olive oil 2 to 3 minutes; do not brown. Add tomato and cook 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Instructions
Everything in Season: Not sure whether you’ve seasoned your meatballs (or your meatloaf, dumpling stuffing, or other raw mixture) correctly? Simply heat a small saute pan and fry a tablespoon or so of the raw mixture until it’s cooked through. Taste for salt, pepper, or other seasonings and adjust as necessary.
About The Author
The Almanac Chefs
We love introducing fun new recipes as well as time-tested recipes, straight from the archives!
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