Here’s a tantalizing “Pallotte‘s Rhapsody”: though, beware of calling them meatballs…
For the people of Abruzzo, the concept of meatballs is all relative when it comes to “pallotte” or “pallottine“. Those are words that refer to some of the most characteristic dishes of the region: Pallotte cacio e uova (pallott cace e ove, in the local language) meatless-meatballs made with eggs and cheese.
Here our Sara Scutti faithfully follows the traditional recipe, while reimagining the condiment sauces… Buon Appetibilis!
About Pallotte
If you are from Abruzzo, the “Pallotte Cacio e Ova” are an integral part of your DNA. It’s a typical recipe of the rustic and pastoral cuisine of the region (cucina povera), born from the needs not to waste the little foods available.
Theese delectable balls represent one of the most go-to meal here in Abruzzo: made of stale bread (softened in milk), mixed with eggs (instead of meat), and pecorino cheese, lots of it.
Deep fried in oil (originally was lard), then dipped in tomato sauce, their spongy consistency allows to absorb the sauce very well. The dish is accompanied by a slice of fresh bread, “et voilà!” the delicacy is served!
About the cheese. I used a semi-mature cow’s milk one, yet many prefer to use a mix of local pecorino or rigatino, for a more intense flavor. There are those who add parsley and chopped garlic to the mixture, but I prefer mine to be cheese only.
What about Pallotte’s Rhapsody?
About Pallotte’s Rhapsody. When I decided to prepare this pallotte I thought, why don’t I try a different condiment? After all, given that the main ingredient is cheese, the dish pair perfectly with vegetables too.
So I made three different sauces, using veggies scraps and ugly parts, while playing with consistency, color and flavor.
- I started by preparing a red sauce with three different tomatoes: some fresh cherry tomatoes, with dried ones, and a hint of tomato paste.
- Then, I made a simple cream of yellow bell peppers and toasted pine nuts, and finally
- a “strascinato” broccoli sauce, that is: broccoli sautéed with some pepper and garlic, garnished with anchovies in oil.
As to which one is the best, the choice is yours… or maybe you prefer the classic ones? In case of doubts, the pallotte are perfect on their own, straight out of the frying pan!
Recipe for Sara’s Tantalizing “Pallotte’s Rhapsody”
[servings: 10 pieces; time: 1 hour; difficulty: medium-easy]
| Please note that the info and directions provided for the recipe are indicative: the end result may vary from person to person |
Ingredients
for pallotte:
- 500 g semi-mature cow’s milk cheese (grated)
- 4 eggs
- 2 slices of stale bread
- milk to taste
for 3 sauces:
- 300 g cherry tomatoes
- 50 g dried tomatoes in oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ onion (chopped)
- 1 tbsp sweet pepper (chopped)
- 1 clove of garlic (minced)
- 2 yellow bell peppers
- 1 tbsp roasted pine nuts
- 200 g Calabrian broccoli
- 8 anchovies in oil
- 1 L frying oil (*)
- oil to taste (*)
- salt for seasoning (to taste)
- keep some boiling water at hand
About the oil (*) – Unless otherwise specified, we may use
organic and cold-pressed evo oil or sunflower seed oil, (the high-oleic
type for frying).
Directions
- Cut the crust of the stale bread, break it into pieces, and soak it for a few minutes in a small bowl full of milk.
- Pour the cheese into a larger bowl, add the freshly beaten eggs, then the soaked and squeezed crumbled bread.
- Mix with your hands until you obtain a homogeneous mixture: it should be quite consistent. If it’s too soft, add more cheese or some breadcrumbs.
- Form your pallotte and let them rest in the fridge for about half an hour. Mine are a little bigger than a walnut.
Meanwhile, let’s prepare the sauces
- Broccoli sauce – First trim the broccoli, cut it into florets, cook it for about 3 minutes in boiling salt water. Drain and set aside.
- In the meantime (in a frying pan), heat 4 tablespoons of oil, with the garlic and sweet pepper; once colored add the blanched broccoli florets, a pinch of salt, and fry for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft enough to be crushed with a fork. The result should be a cream, with a soft consistency (or as they say in Abruzzo, “lenta”).
- Yellow pepper sauce – Cut the peppers into strips and fry them in 2 tablespoons of oil; then add a ladle of hot water, a pinch of salt, and leave to cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the pepper is very soft.
- Blend about ¾ of it to obtain a velvety cream, not too thick; in case add some hot water for the right consistency.
- Three tomatoes sauce – Cut the cherry tomatoes into four parts.
- In a pan, sautée the onion over a low heat, then add the cherry tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.
- Then add the tomato paste, the dried tomatoes (losely chopped) and a ladle of boiling water. Cook for about 10 minutes, remove and blend.
Let’s go back to pallotte
- In a high-sided pan, bring a generous amount of oil for frying to the right temperature, and fry the balls, turning them often until they are uniformly golden: a few minutes should suffice. Drain and set aside on oil-absorbing paper.
- At this point you can immerse your balls in the respective sauces for a few minutes, the time necessary for them to absorb all the flavours.
If you are from Abruzzo, the “Pallott cace e ove” are an integral part of your DNA…
Plating the dish
- In a rectangular plate, first I created the base with the three sauces (about 1 tablespoon each),
- then I placed a balls on top of each sauce, and decorated one by one by adding
- a julienne of pepper with toasted pine nuts for the yellow pepper sauce;
- few anchovies with broccoli sauce; and
- black olives for the three tomato sauce.
- For a casual presentation, you can serve the pallotte individually closed in small glass jars.
Here’s a great link to this delicious example of Abruzzese ingenuity in the kitchen
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I’m an Italian gluten-free Gourmet Traveler+ and a passionate storyteller, writing in English and Italian. Fluently speaking (eating and dreaming) in Italian, English, French, and Russian. When I’m not writing, I cook and test recipes for special diets, and photograph (also on film). Not necessarily in that order. — / — Sono una viaggiatrice buongustaia (la Gourmet Traveler+) senza glutine, appassionata narratrice di storie. Scrivo in italiano e inglese, parlo (mangio e sogno) fluentemente in italiano, inglese, francese e russo. Quando non scrivo, cucino, testo ricette dolci e salate per diete speciali, fotografo (anche in pellicola). Non necessariamente in quest’ordine.
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