Spicy pork & fennel polpette from Polpo: A Venetian Cookbook (of Sorts) (page 153) by Russell Norman

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • pandasaurusrex on April 03, 2017

    YUM. The ground toasted fennel seeds make all the difference in the world. Simple ingredients resulting in tender, almost fluffy meatballs. I thought they were perfectly moist (not dry, as another reviewer experienced). He has you first (incompletely) bake the meatballs then poach them in simmering tomato sauce. Agree with Breadcrumbs that the log shape nicely increased the surface area for caramelization. Cutting recipe down by 1/3 still made ~25 meatballs. It was the sauce that was a bit underwhelming right off the stove (we thought it was fine but nothing that complex or special -- though it did grow on me as leftovers when the flavors were given time to develop in the fridge).

  • TrishaCP on February 17, 2016

    These were enjoyable but not my favorite meatball recipe as they came out a bit dry for me. (Made better with lots of the Polpo sauce, which goes beautifully with the meatballs.) I shaped as directed but larger logs would have been better. I also have very mild chile flakes that I normally adore for their smokiness but this dish was crying out for more heat to play off the fennel. Update 2/24/17: Made again with hotter chile flakes and they were much better. But I think Westminstr is right that these are better with bread rather than pasta.

  • westminstr on April 13, 2015

    In our house these were liked but not loved. I served them with pasta at my family's insistence and maybe that was the problem. I think they are better as pictured with bread and lots of that fabulous sauce! I made two-thirds of the recipe, have leftovers and froze half for another day.

  • Breadcrumbs on April 05, 2015

    p. 153 – Outstanding! mr bc & I are huge fans of fennel. Whenever I visit London I make the Borough Market my first stop and the lady at Spice Mountain immediately starts getting her wonderful fennel seeds off the shelf as soon as she sees me! Good thing another trip is on the horizon as this dish used up the last of my recently acquired stash! In my opinion it’s the heady aroma and sweet flavour of the toasted fennel seed that really differentiates this meatball dish and needless to say, it’s a new house favourite. I decided to follow the example of the photo in the book and shape my polpette into logs vs balls and the benefit of that shape seemed to be the larger surface area that caramelized in the oven. The sweetness of the sauce and the toasted fennel seed balanced out the spiciness of the chili perfectly. A very special dish indeed. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1009437?commentId=9504442#9504442

  • Gio on March 20, 2015

    https://elizaslarder.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/spicy-pork-and-fennel-polpette-at-polpo/

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