I used every pan, every plate, every fork, and every, every, all of it, to make dinner tonight. We made meatballs–but not just any meatball, nothing like “hey you got meatballs”, “yea, I got meatballs.” These were serious “call the cows, call the pigs, and be sure to have the number of a few chickens”, meatballs.
Saute 2 medium new yellow onions with two cloves of uncut garlic until nearly soft, and then add a heaping cup of chopped pancetta stessa (I am not sure on teh spelling of that). Cut up yesterday’s solid Italian loaf, enough for one cup of fresh bread crumbs. Soak them in just enough cream to make a thick mush. Cook a chicken leg and a thigh with a bay leaf, a spill of delicious olive oil, a shallot and a sprig of parsley in a pot of simmering water for about 40 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through. Cool the meat and save the broth for yourself. Chop the chicken meat finely. Add everything to a bowl along with 2 pounds of ground organic beef (add a little ground pork if you like) and 2 eggs. Add a tablespoon of tomato sauce, and mix with your hand until just uniform. Don’t go crazy. Form into meatballs and brown in olive oil. Finish in a 350 degree oven until cooked through. Serve with a red sauce, or gravy.
We had polenta on the side (the 40 minute variety–it pays to wait), a cucumber salad that I eat daily now, a green salad, just for fun and the opportunity to eat more olive oil and Tiramisu for dessert.
After dinner everyone went upstairs to sit by the fire. They had long day with our beloved Jairo who led them around the edges of Cortona, to Le Celle and Santa Margarita, and through its winding streets.