Meatballs in lemon leaves are tasty meatballs cooked between two lemon leaves, absorbing their fragrance.
They are flavored inside with cheese, eggs, and the typical aromas of Sicilian cuisine.
The very soft mixture and the short cooking time ensure extraordinary tenderness.
In Sicily, they are often prepared for barbecues with friends and family, to be consumed piping hot, straight off the fire.
Follow my recipe, and you’ll discover a tasty preparation with the characteristic appearance conferred by the presence of lemon leaves.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 539.75 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 9.30 (g) of which sugars 0.85 (g)
- Proteins 47.36 (g)
- Fat 34.02 (g) of which saturated 14.92 (g)of which unsaturated 14.45 (g)
- Fibers 0.66 (g)
- Sodium 823.01 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 175 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs beef (not too lean)
- 1/2 cup Grana Padano DOP (grated)
- 1/4 cup Pecorino (grated)
- 1 tbsp breadcrumbs (stale, soaked with three tablespoons of water)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 eggs
- to taste parsley
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 pinch salt (optional)
- 30 leaves lemon
Tools
- Grill Pan steel or cast iron
Preparation
Get lemon leaves as fresh as possible, wash them with a sponge and dry them gently with a cloth.
In a bowl combine the minced meat, the soaked breadcrumbs, the Grana Padano, the Pecorino, a mixture of parsley and garlic (you can remove the garlic’s core to make it more digestible), the extra virgin olive oil, the 4 eggs, and a pinch of salt (optional).
Mix until you get a homogeneous and very soft mixture.
On the greener side of the leaf, place a small amount of meat, equivalent to a small meatball, and flatten it, ensuring it doesn’t go beyond the leaf’s edge.The thickness should slightly exceed half an inch.
Cover with another leaf, always facing the greener side towards the meat.
You should get about 15 meatballs.
When all are ready, roast on a preheated grill pan.
Ideally, they should be grilled over embers, but a great alternative is to cook them normally on the stove, using a steel or cast iron grill pan.
It’s not necessary for it to be non-stick, as the leaves will prevent the meat from sticking.
Turn halfway through cooking with a spatula and fork.Cook over moderate heat for the minimum time required to have a cooked meatball that still retains its juiciness.
To achieve this, it may be helpful to lift the upper leaf and turn off the heat when no blood appears on the surface or edges.
To get soft meatballs, it’s crucial not to choose very lean meat, never add breadcrumbs that haven’t been previously hydrated with water, and lastly, it’s important not to cook the meatballs for extended periods, as this would make them irreparably dry.
Serve immediately after roasting, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a splash of lemon juice.
Storage
Once cooled, store in the fridge well covered for a couple of days. Remove the lemon leaves, as over time they would impart a somewhat bitter taste.
Once cooled, store in the fridge well covered for a couple of days. Remove the lemon leaves, as over time they would impart a somewhat bitter taste.
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