Mondeghili Milanesi

Ingredients

• 400 g bollito misto, cooked, cooled, trimmed of excess fat
• 150 g mortadella, cut into rough pieces
• 80 g crustless white bread, soaked in water or milk, squeezed dry
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
• 1 pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
• 80 g unsalted butter, for frying
• To serve
• 100 g pickled giardiniera, or dressed rocket

Method

1. 1
   Pass the bollito misto and mortadella through a meat grinder into a large bowl, so the two meats knit together at a consistent texture rather than sitting in uneven chunks that would cause the patties to crack when shaped. Add the squeezed bread, beaten egg, Parmigiano, and nutmeg, then mix until the mass is uniform — but stop the moment it coheres, because overworking it will compact the mixture into something dense and rubbery. The mixture should hold its shape when pressed between the fingers without feeling dense or paste-like.
2. 2
   Portion the mixture into walnut-to-golf-ball-sized pieces and roll each into a sphere, then flatten slightly into a disc, keeping all patties uniform in size so they cook through at the same rate and colour evenly in the pan. Arrange on a tray, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes so the fat firms up and the patties hold a clean edge without cracking under the heat of the pan. The patties are ready when they feel firm and hold a clean edge without cracking.
3. 3
   Melt the butter in a wide, heavy frying pan over a medium-high flame. This is where the dish lives or dies: the butter must foam vigorously and the foam must begin to subside and colour to a pale gold before the patties enter the pan — a sluggish, merely melted butter will stew the crust rather than form it, producing a pale, greasy result. The smell shifts from fresh butter to a faintly nutty register, which is your signal that the heat is where it needs to be.
4. 4
   Lay the chilled patties in the pan without crowding, so the heat remains fierce enough around each one to drive off moisture and build a crust rather than trapping steam between them. Fry undisturbed until a deep golden-brown crust has set on the underside — the sizzling should remain active and dry-sounding, not a wet sputter — then turn once and fry the second side to the same colour. The crust should be firm and mahogany in tone; press a patty gently — it should feel set through.
5. 5
   Transfer to a warm plate and rest briefly. Serve immediately alongside pickled giardiniera or a salad of dressed rocket — the acid cuts through the richness of the butter-Maillard crust and mortadella fat so that neither the fat nor the sharpness dominates the finished plate.