I ate these Simona’s meatballs for the first time when Simona wasn’t there. She had left some for a dinner with my brother and his husband Giorgio… and once you taste the pizzettas you never forget them. They have a reassuring and delicate flavour, also suitable for children. Furthermore, they have an incredible property: if you have one on your plate you eat one, but if you have six on your plate you will eat six!
I went around it for quite a while until I got the recipe from Simona, who was kind enough to reveal to me a family secret, a home recipe, made of a few doses and a lot of eye, experience and tradition. Because you should know that the recipe for the pizzas has been handed down in Simona’s family for generations.
The beautiful thing about these meatballs is that they are also quick and simple, but the result will truly amaze you.
Ingredients
- 500 g of mixed minced meat (chicken and veal or turkey and veal)
- 1 egg + one yolk
- Grated Parmesan (be generous)
- 2-3 slices of bread soaked in milk (pan bauletto is also fine)
- Nutmeg (a lot)
- Whole pistachios
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
- Water to wet your hands
- Oil and butter for frying
- White wine to deglaze
Remove the crust from the bread with a knife and wet it with milk.
Place the minced meat, salt, pepper, nutmeg, a whole egg, parmesan and the bread, squeezed out a little, in a large bowl and knead until the mixture is homogeneous and workable. If dry, add another egg yolk. Add a generous handful of pistachios and mix everything well.
Keep aside a small bowl with water and, wetting your hands from time to time, make meatballs with a diameter of 3-4 cm from the mixture and crush them a little until they take on the appearance of a “pizzetta” (the one original d.o.c. by Simona).
In a large enough non-stick pan, heat a little oil and a small piece of butter. When they are hot, start browning the meatballs (be careful not to keep the heat too high), then turning them over to the other side.
When they are cooked on the outside, add plenty of white wine and leave on the heat until they are completely cooked. Serve with the cooking sauce.
Success guaranteed!
And… Thanks Simona! (in truth, to make sure you’ve made them well when you’re in Rome I have to invite you to dinner and I have to pass the very tough exam of the owner of the recipe: only Simona will be able to say if mine are really “pizzette”!)
