Zucchini balls alla pizzaiola

Name: Zucchini balls alla pizzaiola
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 30
Ingredients: Zucchini 1.5 lbs; Bread 1.5 oz; Cow's milk ricotta cheese ½ cup; Eggs medium 1; Grana Padano PDO cheese grated 3 tbsp; Breadcrumbs ½ cup; Type 00 flour ½ cup; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Tomato purée 2 cups; Garlic 1 clove; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Mozzarella cheese for pizza 3.5 oz; Basil to taste

Vegetarian

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Makes: 30 pieces
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Zucchini balls alla pizzaiola are succulent, appetizing morsels enveloped in an aromatic tomato sauce flavored with basil and enhanced by the gooey deliciousness of mozzarella cheese. This tasty dish was inspired by the traditional delicacy carne alla pizzaiola, one of the most popular home-made dishes in Italy. We’ve come up with many other tasty variations on this theme, including a recipe with anchovies and an unusual omelet option. Those recipes went down so well that we decided to try these zucchini balls. Just one glance will whet your appetite. You will need to serve twice as much bread as usual to slake your irresistible desire to mop up all the sauce.

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for 30 balls: Zucchini 1.5 lbs (640 g); Bread 1.5 oz (40 g); Cow's milk ricotta cheese ½ cup (130 g); Eggs 1 (50 g) - medium; Grana Padano PDO cheese 3 tbsp (20 g) - grated; Breadcrumbs ½ cup (60 g); Type 00 flour ½ cup (60 g); Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

For the sauce: Tomato purée 2 cups (500 g); Garlic 1 clove; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Mozzarella cheese 3.5 oz (100 g) - for pizza; Basil to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Zucchini balls alla pizzaiola

Peel and grate the zucchini using a coarse grater 1 and then add them to a bowl 2. Transfer the bread to a food processor 3

and blend to make breadcrumbs 4. Pour the ricotta into a bowl and add the bread 5, zucchini, grated cheese 6, salt, and pepper.

Add the egg 7, then mix everything with your hands 8. Add the flour 9

and breadcrumbs 10, then knead everything to make a compact, uniform mixture 11. Now form the balls, taking about 1 oz (30 g) for each one and shaping them with your hands 12.

Continue in this way until you’ve made about 30 balls 13. Pour a little oil into a nonstick pan and let it warm up 14, add the meatballs and brown on both sides 15. Set them aside while you make the sauce.

In another frying pan, brown a clove of garlic in a little oil, add the passata 16, season with salt, and cook for about 15 minutes. Then take out the garlic clove 17 and add the zucchini balls. Add the basil 18

and cover with a lid 19. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, turning the balls a couple of times. Meanwhile, use a coarse grater to grate the mozzarella for pizza and scatter it over the balls 20 after about 10 minutes. Cover with the lid and allow the cheese to melt. Serve your zucchini balls piping hot 21.