My mom’s polpette (meatballs) are the best. Hands down. She cooked them for my brother and I when we were athletic kids in need of a different kind of dinner. We were not picky eaters, but we were quick to get bored from pasta, pizza and other common dishes. That, and the combination of my mom’s curiosity and creativity in the kitchen made for a very entertaining cooking process. My parents wanted us to try all foods at least once and if we didn’t like it, not a problem….but at least we made up our own mind and did not settle for what our friends thought. I am so glad they did that. There are plenty of foods I don’t like, even in adulthood, but still today, I would give anything a try. (My mom once prepared soy ragu’ and told us it was real meat. She didn’t fool anyone, but I was actually fond of the taste….my brother and dad not so much).

These polpette are different from the generic meatball. They are healthier and crunchier and they literally take 10 minutes to make.

What you’ll need: (makes 4 meatballs)

Half a pound of lean ground beef
1 egg
1 zucchini
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/4 cup of parsley
Smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Finely dice the zucchini and place them in a bowl. Add the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper and mix with your hands. The zucchini help the mixture from falling apart and add a crunchy bite.

Once the mixture is uniform, grab a handful of mixture (depending on how big you want the meatball to be) and form a ball with your hands. Place them on a clean plate and repeat until you run out of mixture.

At the same time, add extra virgin olive oil (or your preferred olive oil for frying) to a pan, making sure its entire surface is covered and tun on the heat to medium. My mom taught me a little trick to stop the oil from burning: add a piece of bread. Give it a try, it works every time.

Once the oil has reached the right temperature (you will want to hear a nice shhhhhhh), place the polpette in the pan, cover it and let it cook for a few minutes. Turn them over and let them cook until the outside is crispy and the inside is to your preference. Pat the polpette with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Eat.

So quick and easy, this will become a favorite – it was the first time Francesco tried polpette with zucchini. Positive verdict means many more polpette on the horizon.  Buon Appetito!