makes
26–28
prep
25 minutes
cook
20 minutes
difficulty
Easy
makes
26–28
serves
preparation
25
minutes
cooking
20
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
"The Polesini family was the closest you got to Istrian nobility... They also owned the island of San Nicolò/Sveti Nicola, just off the coast of Paranzo/Poreč, which is where the Hungarian-born cookbook author, Margherita (Eta), lived with her husband, Marquis Gianpaolo Polesini.
Eta probably didn't need to write cookbooks to make a living, but she must have loved cooking and sharing her recipes. She wrote five paperback recipe books in the 1930s, largely inspired by the food of the Austro–Hungarian empire. The books were about entertaining guests, which would have been rather lovely in her castle on the family island in the Adriatic Sea. This recipe is inspired by one in her book on antipasti, which I managed to purchase from a vintage bookstore in Italy. The original recipe has ham in the polpettine, but I rather like making them vegetarian."
Ingredients
- 1 kg English spinach
- 3 egg yolks
- 75 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 30 g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve, if desired
- zest of 1 lemon, plus extra to serve, if desired
- 100 g (1 cup) dry breadcrumbs
- sea salt
- extra virgin olive oil, for pan-frying
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Wash the spinach several times until it is clean of dirt or sand. Remove and discard the thick stalks and any damaged leaves. Place a large saucepan that will fit all the spinach over medium heat. Place the washed (and still wet) spinach in the pan and, using tongs, push it down until the heat starts wilting the spinach. This should only take a couple of minutes. When it has wilted completely, remove from the heat. Place in a colander to drain, then place the cooked leaves in a clean tea towel and squeeze all the excess water out. The spinach should be quite dry. Chop finely by hand or in a food processor, then set aside to cool.
- Place the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk briefly with a fork. Add the butter and mix it into the eggs with a spoon. Next, add the finely chopped spinach, mixing well, then the parmesan, lemon zest and about one-third of the breadcrumbs, and salt to taste. The mixture should be quite firm and you should be able to shape it into balls; add a few more breadcrumbs if needed.
- Shape the mixture into walnut-shaped balls, about 20 g in weight. Roll them in the remaining breadcrumbs. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Pan-fry the polpettine in batches, turning them over regularly for 5–6 minutes, or until they are golden all over.
- Serve warm, topping with pepper and extra parmesan or lemon zest, if desired.
Istria: Recipes and stories from the hidden heart of Italy, Slovenia and Croatia by Paola Bacchia, published by Smith Street Books (RRP $55.00). Photography by Paola Bacchia.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
"The Polesini family was the closest you got to Istrian nobility... They also owned the island of San Nicolò/Sveti Nicola, just off the coast of Paranzo/Poreč, which is where the Hungarian-born cookbook author, Margherita (Eta), lived with her husband, Marquis Gianpaolo Polesini.
Eta probably didn't need to write cookbooks to make a living, but she must have loved cooking and sharing her recipes. She wrote five paperback recipe books in the 1930s, largely inspired by the food of the Austro–Hungarian empire. The books were about entertaining guests, which would have been rather lovely in her castle on the family island in the Adriatic Sea. This recipe is inspired by one in her book on antipasti, which I managed to purchase from a vintage bookstore in Italy. The original recipe has ham in the polpettine, but I rather like making them vegetarian."
