The San Biagio meatballs are a typical dish of Cilento’s carnival cuisine prepared for the feast of the saint (February 3rd), protector of the throat. As per Carnival tradition, these meatballs are also fried, originally a humble, leftover dish. It’s impossible to resist these fried spheres, excellent hot, but delicious even at room temperature. They are a great alternative to traditional meat ones. Try them, and you’ll eat one after another.
During this period, the Sagra della Polpetta, one of the oldest festivals in the Agro Nocerino Sarnese area, takes place. During the festival, these meatballs with pecorino and potatoes are certainly prepared.
Without the addition of ham, they are perfect even for Lent.
For this recipe, I used the dried chopped Ubena parsley contained in this month’s Degustabox.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Affordable
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 1,038.88 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 37.44 (g) of which sugars 1.55 (g)
- Proteins 22.21 (g)
- Fat 90.67 (g) of which saturated 20.39 (g)of which unsaturated 62.58 (g)
- Fibers 3.78 (g)
- Sodium 2,166.48 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 300 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 FOR SAN BIAGIO MEATBALLS
- 2 lbs potatoes
- 1 cup pecorino (grated)
- 3 eggs
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste chopped parsley
- 5 oz cooked ham (diced)
- 3.5 oz stale bread
- to taste peanut oil
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Potato Masher
PREPARATION OF SAN BIAGIO MEATBALLS
Boil the potatoes in plenty of water. Once cooked, mash them well in a large bowl.
Mix and blend them well with all the ingredients: therefore with the eggs, grated cheese, ham, bread. Season with a little salt, pepper, and chopped parsley.
Let the mixture rest in the fridge and then, with your hands, form many small round meatballs. In a pan, heat the peanut oil and start frying your meatballs a few at a time.
When the meatballs are golden on both sides, remove them from the heat.
Adriana’s Advice
You can replace the ham with salami or sausage.
