The days are getting shorter, it’s getting colder so it’s time to cook some comfort food. Spaghetti Polpette (Spaghetti Meatballs) has been a favourite in Celino’s since 1982.
The key ingredient of this popular dish is salsiccia fresca, fresh Italian sausages. Italian sausage is made from cuts of lean pork belly mixed with salt, pepper, a little fennel and chilli (more or less depending on whether the sausage is mild or spicy). We source Italian sausage from both Scotland and Italy… Rodgers Butchers have been expertly preparing these sausages for years and we also sell, on the deli counter, Salcis Italian sausage imported from Siena.
There’s two recipes here for the price of one 😉:
1) Celino’s Sugo Sauce - Easy to prepare, a winner with the whole family and very versatile as you can add vegetables, bacon, meatballs or whatever you want to change it up.
2) Polpette (Meatballs) – A bit more preparation time but will give your pasta a bit of a kick!
Sugo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 bottle (690ml) of Celino’s pasatta
- 1 tin of Strianese chopped tomatoes
- 1 carrot peeled and chopped small
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- Half a glass of white wine
- 50g fresh basil, ripped
- Extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Using a large pot, coat the base well with extra virgin olive oil, put on a low heat, add the garlic and allow to infuse with the hot oil for 1 minute
- Add the carrot and cook off slowly until the carrot softens
- Add a pinch of good quality salt, Maldon if possible
- Add the white wine and allow to evaporate (this should take 1 to 2 minutes)
- Add the Strianese chopped tomatoes and allow to fry for 3 minutes
- Add all of the Celino’s pasatta
- Bring to the boil add a good pinch of Maldon salt, reduce the heat and simmer with a lid half covered for 20 minutes
- Add 50 grams of basil (the leaf only) and blitz the lot
- Taste for seasoning, turn off the gas and allow to rest for 1 hour
Polpette
Ingredients
- 2 mild Italian sausages
- 2 spicy Italian sausages
- Sprig of parsley, chopped fine
- 50g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
- 1 leafy part of a stock of celery, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 egg beaten
- Italian breadcrumbs – approx. 150g
- Pinch of Maldon salt
- Table spoon of extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Skin the sausages and remove the fresh pork meat
- Place in a bowl and add all the ingredients except the breadcrumbs
- Using your hands, mix the ingredients well allowing all the flavours to infuse the pork
- Add some of the breadcrumbs and mix again
- Continue to add breadcrumbs until the mixture pulls together and holds its shape
- Roll the mixture into balls (approx. size of a golf ball) and place to one side
Spaghetti Meatballs
Method
- Bring your sugo sauce up to heat
- Using a shallow frying pan with a good helping of extra virgin olive oil, fry off the meatballs until golden brown then drain
- Place meatballs into your sugo sauce and simmer for approx. 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, approximately halfway through cooking time:
Boil a pot of water, add a teaspoon of sea salt and drop in the pasta, approx. 110g per person - Simmer for approx. 12 minutes (follow timing instructions on pasta)
- Drain the pasta, mix some sugo sauce into the pasta, place polpette into the pasta and serve
Buon Appetito!