Naples, Campania
Naples' meatball cooked in Sunday ragù — the quintessential Neapolitan family preparation. Neapolitan polpette are larger than most Italian meatballs (golf ball size), made from a mixture of beef, pork, and stale bread soaked in milk, bound with egg and Parmigiano, flavoured with pine nuts, sultanas, and parsley. They are fried first in olive oil until crusted, then added to the simmering Sunday ragù for at least 45 minutes — absorbing and contributing to the sauce simultaneously. Never served as the main pasta sauce.
Rich braised beef-pork depth; sweet pine nut and sultana; tomato ragù acidity; parsley freshness; deeply satisfying
{"Mix: 60% beef, 40% pork — the fat from pork keeps the mixture moist","Bread soaked in milk, squeezed, incorporated — bread is the binder, not flour; gives tenderness","Pine nuts and sultanas are essential — they are not optional additions","Fry in olive oil until all sides are deeply browned — the crust must be set before going into the ragù","Simmer in Sunday ragù 45 min minimum — they should be cooked through and have absorbed ragù flavour"}
{"The frying fat (olive oil) can be used to start the ragù soffritto for flavour continuity","Some Neapolitan families add a small piece of provola affumicata inside each meatball — it melts into the centre","Refrigerate the mixed meat 30 minutes before shaping — firmer mixture forms cleaner balls","The ragù after the polpette cook in it is richer than before — the polpette contribute their flavour to the sauce"}
{"Adding raw meatballs directly to the ragù — they release fat and starch into the sauce and lose their exterior texture","Using only breadcrumbs instead of bread soaked in milk — the texture becomes too firm and dense","Omitting pine nuts and sultanas — these are what distinguish Neapolitan polpette from generic meatballs","Making them too small — size matters for the ragù absorption timing"}
La Cucina Napoletana — Jeanne Caròla Francesconi