Polpette Veneziane
Crisp, golden fried meatballs made from tender boiled beef and milk-soaked bread, eaten warm as a classic Venetian bàcaro bar snack.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 440 kcal
Equipment
- •Food processor or meat grinder
- •Mixing bowl
- •Deep frying pan or heavy saucepan
- •Slotted spoon
- •Wire cooling rack or paper towels
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 440 kcal
- fat
- 26 g
- carbs
- 24 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 26 g
- calories
- 440 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Tear the stale bread into chunks and soak in the milk for ten minutes.
- 2
Squeeze the soaked bread firmly with your hands to discard excess milk.
- 3
Place shredded boiled beef, squeezed bread, Grana Padano, parsley, minced garlic, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and one egg into a bowl.
- 4
Mix thoroughly with your hands until a soft, cohesive, and moldable paste forms.
- 5
Shape the mixture into small, slightly flattened balls roughly the size of a walnut.
- 6
Dip each ball into the remaining beaten egg, then roll in fine breadcrumbs until evenly coated.
- 7
Heat the sunflower oil in a deep pan to 175°C until a breadcrumb sizzles immediately.
- 8
Fry the polpette in small batches for about three minutes until crisp and deeply golden brown.
- 9
Lift them out using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper before serving warm.
Chef's tips
Using pre-cooked broth beef (bollito) yields the authentic melt-in-the-mouth interior typical of Venice. Avoid over-compacting when shaping so the rissoles remain tender inside. Maintain oil heat steadily around 175°C so the breadcrumb crust crisps before the inside dries out.
Ingredient substitutions
- cooked boiled beef (lesso) → cooked leftover roast beef, though it will produce a slightly firmer rissole
- Grana Padano → aged Parmigiano Reggiano
Storage
Store cooled leftover polpette in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Reheating
Reheat in a preheated oven at 180°C for 6 to 8 minutes until the crust is crisp again.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Using raw minced beef instead of tender pre-boiled beef, altering the traditional texture entirely.
- •Failing to squeeze excess milk from the bread, making the meat paste too loose to hold together in the oil.
- •Overcrowding the frying pan, which lowers oil temperature and causes greasy polpette.
Serving suggestions
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