Zuppa de Polpetta
It's no secret how much I love to cook, I am no expert , but the kitchen is my playground.One of the privileges of being an expat is exposure to ingredients and
recipes I wouldn't typically encounter in the States. So I'd like to invite you to join in on at least our culinary journey, with "Around The World In 80 Dishes". Hopefully you'll find a new family favorite!
The first dish is Zuppa de Polpetta , (or more simply Italian Meatball Soup,) it's perfect for a chilly day . Like most old school Italian food it is straightforward, simple and delicious. You don't have worry about perfection with soup, a rough chop of an onion, and dicing garlic is as complex as it gets with this hearty filling dish. Toast up some garlic bread to soak up the yummy broth! A big tummy rubbing "Thank you!" goes out to my Aunt Jen for introducing me to this dish!
First the Meatballs....
1/2 lb of ground chicken
1/2 lb of ground pork 1 egg
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 c day old bread "crumbed" by hand or food processor
3 cloves of garlic ( left over roasted garlic is ahhhhmazing in this)
1/2 medium red onion
5 cherry tomatoes or 1 roma tomato
Salt/pepper to taste
Pulse bread in food processor until you reach coarse crumbs, remove to large bowl. Pulse garlic, onion and tomato in food processor or mince by hand. Mix all ingredients gently by hand and form into small meatballs. Fry on stove top until outsides are well browned and firm, You may have to do this in batches(Keep in mind you will use the same pan to finish the soup, so make sure it is deep enough.)
As the last batch of meatballs is frying, I add the rest of the red onion,and a few more cloves of garlic coarsely chopped and a tbsp of olive oil if the pan is dry....
Then the soup...
4 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of cherry tomatoes halved
3 large bunches of fresh spinach cleaned, stems removed
(In the states I use 1 1/2 bags of baby spinach)
2 cups of pre-cooked pasta , I prefer Orecchiette, or Rigati
8-16 oz of Mozzarella cubed ( how cheesy are you?!?)
Add the chicken stock to the pot and return all meatballs to the pan, simmer on medium to high heat for 10 minutes, or until you assured the meat balls are thoroughly cooked. Add in remaining ingredients, remove from heat stir and cover for five minutes. The rest of ingredients will come to temperature with the spinach wilting and the mozzarella turning into gooey goodness!!!
.....and for dessert?....
I would like to present to you, lip smackingly good Russian Apple Pie, courtesy of our Russian friends the Tsokolaevas. It's vastly different than American Apple Pie, there is no need to roll out a pastry, but is equally delish!
Yablochnym pirogom
You will need very few ingredients to make this fantastic quick dessert ( or breakfast! in my house)....
4 eggs
1c of sugar
1c of flour
4 large tart apples
A greased and floured cake pan ( I use a spring-form)
Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C
First wash, peel/core and dice your apples if they aren't tart enough add 2 tsp lemon juice. Grease and flour your pan, and place apples in the bottom of the pan.
Break all four eggs into a bowl, using a hand mixer beat on highest speed, slowly adding sugar until you have a frothy/creamy mix. (It is not in the original recipe but I always add a dash of vanilla.)
Turn mixer speed to slow and gently sprinkle in flour while mixing, after all flour is added return mixer to high setting and mix for 5 minutes. Then pour the batter over apples, and level it.
Cook in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean, cool before removing from pan.
We eat this still warm, we eat it cold...essentially we EAT this! We love it topped with Lemon Curd, which I'll post a recipe for a little later....let us know if you give either of these a try!
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.
~ Harriet Van Horne
