Readers’ Recipe Contest: Polpette

Submitted by Christina Badaracco

I am thankful to have grown up in a household that prioritized family meals and scratch cooking. As I child, I enjoyed helping my mother cook meals for the family. We didn’t make fancy, complicated meals; instead, we had a set of tried-and-true favorites that we would regularly make for the four of us. We knew them by simple names, like “grape fish” and “cucumber salad,” helping us to always know what to expect when my mother announced what she would make for dinner. We also had certain ones on the tips of our tongues when she asked what we’d like for dinner that night or what we should make for company that weekend.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I would go on to pursue a career in food and nutrition as a means to promote better physical and mental health among Americans. And I believe this must start with cooking. As a dietitian and public health professional, I am passionate about helping people cook more at home using simple and sustainable ingredients because I know it will benefit their own health and that of their family members and friends (as well as the planet we inhabit). While many individuals and families throughout our country face challenges to healthy eating that mine did not, I believe and am also committed to helping them overcome many of those barriers and navigate their local groceries, engage with their communities around growing and sharing healthy food, and pass down knowledge about ancestral culinary traditions and beloved recipes.

My brother married several years ago. For their wedding gift, I had been inspired by a wedding gift given to a dear friend a few years before: a compilation of recipes from friends and family representing cherished memories from their times together. I reached out to various friends and family from all parts of his life and pulled together photographs, written recipes and personal stories into a scratch-made cookbook made of supplies from my local craft store. My hope is that my brother and sister-in-law use this book as they cook together and share it with children they will one day have to carry on these culinary traditions for future generations.

The recipe below represents a simple version of meatballs in marinara sauce akin to what my mother made regularly when I was a child. We were taught to always make our tomato sauce from scratch (jarred sauce can’t even compare!) from just a few simple ingredients. A big splash of red wine at the end makes it extra special. As a dietitian, I have edited the meatball recipe to use oats instead of the more traditional breadcrumbs as they are more nutrient-dense binder. While I know most people my age aren’t still making meatballs or sauce like this from scratch, I will continue throughout my life to seek to help my friends, audiences and future family to make, savor and benefit from such simple pleasures made in their own kitchens.

Italian Meatballs in Marinara Sauce (Polpette Al Sugo)

Serves 6

Marinara Sauce:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 dried bay leaf
Large splash of red wine

(Makes approximately 3 cups of sauce)

Meatballs:
½ cup whole milk
½ cup rolled oats
1 pound 90% lean ground beef (or other ground meat of choice)
½ small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups marinara sauce (see recipe above)
fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

For sauce: In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another 1 minute. Add tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf before serving. Separate 2 cups for serving with meatballs and let remaining sauce cool before storing in the refrigerator or freezer.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix oats and milk in small bowl and soak for at least 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine beef, onion, garlic, egg, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix in soaked oats. Using hands to mix evenly, shape into 1½-inch balls. Arrange on glass baking dish and bake for 20–25 minutes, until browned. Serve in warmed sauce and garnish with parsley, if desired.

Note: Before adding to sauce, meatballs can be cooled and stored in an air-tight glass container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Sauce can also be stored in glass jars and defrosted/reheated as needed.

Editor’s note: This recipe has not been independently tested by the Edible Boston team.