Polpette, Polpettine, Rissole

Polpette and rissole, made from minced meat (polpa), are cooked all over Italy and are considered to be the most economical and tasty way of using minced meat. Different meats can be minced to vary the flavour. The classic recipe for polpette is minced beef or veal mixed with beaten egg, crushed garlic, grated Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed together, the mixture shaped into rissoles or balls and deep-fried until crispy. They can either be eaten as they are or cooked and served in sauces to dress pasta as they do in Southern Italy, especially in Puglia. Polpettine are tiny meatballs crisply fried and used as fillings for pasta timbales (see Timbalo di Ziti).