If you have stale bread like I often do lurking in the depths of the bread bin, then these fluffy polpette pillows are perfect to russle up.  They are light, full of flavour and smell amazing too, spiked with garlic and fresh herbs pulled from the garden.  Make them your own by adding a mix of herbs from fresh oregano, marjoram, and thyme. Polpette can be eaten both warm and cold and are also delicious dipped in a lovely fresh ragu sauce and served after pasta with a fresh leafy salad.  They freeze incredibly well too.  Stale bread creates perfect breadcrumbs to coat meat and fill vegetable ready in minutes. This is my style of cooking, frugal cucina povera mantra flavoured with the use of seasonal ingredients.

 

Preparation time: 10 minutes                                                Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

130g stale breadcrumbs

60g Parmesan, grated

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

4 large eggs

Bunch of fresh parsley/basil chopped

Salt and pepper to season

Olive oil to shallow fry

This amount of mixture makes about 10 plump polpette.

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  1. Tip the breadcrumbs into a roomy bowl followed by the grated Parmesan, bicarbonate of soda, crushed garlic, eggs and chopped parsley. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
  2. You are looking for a loose mixture but it must be able to hold itself when formed in between two tablespoons. Shape the bread balls into quinels.
  3. Shallow fry in a frying pan with olive oil until golden brown on all sides. Fry them in batches. Drain the polpette onto some kitchen towel to remove any excess oil.
  4. I tend to eat them as soon as the have been fried off but they are equally delicious dipped in a freshly made tomato sauce.

Serve by dipping into a ragu five minutes before serving or eaten as they are warm with a soup or salad.