Polpettone is such a delicious and versatile dish. I make it often on weekends, when I never know who is going to drop in. You can change the combination of minced meats to your liking.
Eaten hot or cold is great, although I find a cold Polpettone has more flavour.
for 6-8 people
• 400 gr veal
• 600 gr pork
• 400 gr lamb
• 2 carrots
• 4 celery stalks
• 1 large Spanish onion
• 1 fennel all roughly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• fresh rosemary, sage and Italian parsley
• 10 slices of prosciutto
• lightly brown these vegetables and herbs in a little virgin olive oil and butter
• put the minced meat in a large bowl
• add the cooked vegetables
• salt and pepper
• 2 whole organic eggs and mix well, using your hands
• oil a large bread tin
• put a few fresh bay leaves on the bottom (this is for decoration)
• line the tin with prosciutto slices or thin bacon
• then add the meat mixture and push it well into the tin
• put 1 or 2 more slices of ‘prosciutto’ or bacon on the top
• cover with alfoil
• put in a preheated oven 200° for about 50 min
I like to eat my ‘polpettone ‘ cold, but it is delicious also warm. You can serve a mixed salad with it or any grilled vegetables of your liking, also serve some ‘cornichons’ (gherkins) on the side and some tomato relish.
For a different version of ‘Polpettone’, you can try with different meats, for instance Kangaroo, Beef and Pork.