2022 Giro d’Italia - Stage 5: Catania to Messina.
One last day on the island of Sicily for the riders today and one last Sicilian treat from your friendly food blogger. What a gorgeous stage it was today, along the east coast of the island, with beautiful views of the Ionian Sea. The seas were, of course, an important part of food culture in the history of cuisine and intermingling of cultures. This was evident and a good lesson at dinner the other night. One of my daughters mentioned the meal tasted a bit “like Christmas.” After a beat, I caught what she was experiencing. The ricotta balls in this dish are spiced with ground cloves! I then relayed to them that Northern Africa is just across the Mediterranean Sea to the south, not to mention Greece (which also employs cloves) is across the Ionian to the east. One thing is certain, this is not your typical meatball and cheese dish. After that little discussion, there was no more conversation at the table, only moans of contentment as we all devoured our meal. Megan made an amazing balsamic vinaigrette with some Sicilian EVOO that she dressed on an Italian green salad. It was a great dinner.
Meatball and Ricotta Bake Truscello di Messina, adapted from The Italian Regional Cookbook, Valentina Harris
1 qt. beef stock
½ lb 90% lean beef
2 cups stale white breadcrumbs
3 tbsp minced parsley
1 ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 eggs
10 oz ricotta (standard, not con latte)
¼ tsp ground cloves
Basil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pour the stock into a large saucepan and bring to a boil to reduce by ⅓ and reserve.
While the stock reduces, place the beef into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add in the breadcrumbs, parsley, and 2 tbsp of the parmesan. Lightly beat the eggs and add it to the bowl of meat. Using your hands, mix everything together. With slightly wet hands, start forming tiny meatballs (think Swedish meatballs, not NJ-grandma-sized meatballs) and place them on a plate.
Once the balls are formed and the stock is reduced, place the meatballs into the hot stock and lightly simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Then remove the balls back to the plate using a slotted spoon.
While the meatballs simmer, combine the ricotta, remaining parmesan, and ground cloves with a pinch of salt. If the mixture is too dry add a beaten egg. If it’s too loose, add some additional breadcrumbs. It all depends on your ricotta, but you want this to be pretty tight, not sloppy. Once satisfied with the texture, start rolling the ricotta into balls the same size as the meat.
When ready to bake, pour enough stock to just cover the bottom of a 6-cup baking dish. Add in some ricotta balls, followed by a layer of meatballs. Continue layering until everything is in the dish and pour the remaining stock over everything.
Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes. You don’t want the ricotta balls to get too melty, though. Garnish with a chiffonade of basil and serve. ______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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