Portions: [Latte e Grappa] Polpette with cannellini sauce
Time: 30/40 min
Difficulty: Low
Ingredients
300 g already cooked cannellini beans
1 spring onion
2 dried tomatoes
a few leaves of fresh mint
180 g cooked potatoes
2/3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
a grating of untreated lemon peel
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
For the sauce 300 g of tomato puree
300 g of cherry tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
These meatballs that I'm telling you about are perfect for a picnic: without sauce, of course, otherwise they get too soaked. Indeed, the sauce can be put in a separate box, to be used as a sauce in which to dip them.
Since you always ask me for recipes with legumes, here they are: very soft, quick to prepare, delicious. I boiled the cannellini beans in quantity in the Instant Pot (25 minutes without soaking them, with a beans:water ratio of volume 1:3) and I prepared these meatballs and also some pasta and beans: I admit I removed the skins one by one from beans, to make them more digestible and even if it is a biblical work I consider it essential to be able to indulge in legumes more often.
The recipe is inspired by my friend Glicerinia, an inexhaustible source of veg recipes.
Blend the cannellini beans with the spring onion, dried tomatoes and mint until reduced to a cream. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and add the mashed potatoes, breadcrumbs, lemon peel, salt and pepper and mix. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for half an hour, it will be easier to work it later. Take some of the mixture (I use an ice cream scoop) and form the balls, then place them on a baking tray covered with baking paper, brush with a little oil and bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes in ventilated mode. Halfway through the time, I turned them over. In the meantime, prepare the sauce: put the tomato puree, the cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper and a drizzle of oil in a pan, then cook until it thickens. Serve hot meatballs with gravy!
