Abruzzo
A celebratory Abruzzese Sunday preparation — chitarra-cut spaghetti served with small lamb meatballs (polpette di agnello) in a slow-cooked tomato sauce with onion, bay and peperoncino. The lamb meatballs are mixed with egg, stale bread soaked in milk, Pecorino, parsley and nutmeg, rolled very small and fried in olive oil before being added to the sauce. A rich, comforting dish tied to Easter and Sunday family lunches.
Rich tomato sauce with lamb fat enrichment; small meatballs that melt in the mouth; nutmeg and Pecorino give warmth and salt; the chitarra pasta grips the sauce in its rough grooves — Sunday lunch that lasts a week in memory
{"Roll the polpette very small (2cm) — smaller meatballs cook through in the sauce without toughening the exterior","Fry the polpette in olive oil until golden on all sides before adding to the sauce — they must form a crust before braising","The tomato sauce must be cooked 45 minutes before adding the meatballs — the base must be fully developed","Simmer the polpette in the sauce for 20 minutes — they should absorb some sauce and become part of it","The meatball mixture: lamb mince, stale bread soaked in milk and squeezed, egg, grated Pecorino, parsley, nutmeg"}
{"Wet your hands with cold water before rolling the meatballs — this prevents sticking and gives a smoother surface","A small amount of finely grated lemon zest in the mixture brightens the lamb flavour","The chitarra pasta can be replaced with handmade tagliatelle in the same width — the rough surface holds the sauce equally well"}
{"Large meatballs that remain raw in the centre after frying — small meatballs cook through reliably","Adding raw meatballs to the sauce — without the fried crust they break apart","Under-cooked tomato sauce — the meatballs are added to a finished sauce, not a raw one"}
La Cucina Abruzzese — Tradizioni Pastorali