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04/06/2005 Archived Entry: "Italian chicken croquettes"

Sean Brady is back.

The story so far, and in brief:

After graduating from Fordham University, Sean worked for me for three years. With the exposure to Italy he got working as my personal assistant, he decided to move to Salerno, near my friend Cecilia and her family and friends. With the dollar worth as little as it does today, Sean had to return home sooner than expected, and he is now staying with his saintly parents in Sarasota, Florida. But he is in New York this week, visiting friends and keeping me on the ball. Since he was here yesterday while I was broadcasting my program on WWRL, I had him prepare us a little lunch. I asked him to make something he’d picked up in Italy, and these chicken “meatballs” were his answer. In the U.S., we’d call them croquettes, because they are hardly “balls.” They are flat-ish. In Italy, they might call them palle, which also means balls, but whenever something is a called a palle, as opposed to a polpette, which is clearly the word for meatball, it is flat-ish, like Seans.

Whatever you call them, they are divine. Sean likes to serve these as an appetizer with drinks. I’d prefer to eat them as a main course. How about this for a weekday family meal for this season: Start with a bowl of penne with either peas or asparagus, then have these chicken croquettes with a green salad. Fresh fruit for dessert. Or, go right for the main event: Forget the pasta course and serve these with a side of asparagus or peas.

Polpette di Pollo alla Romana
Chicken Meatballs wrapped in Prosciutto and Sage
Makes 18 to 20,
Serving about 6 as a light main course

Says Sean: I called these chicken meatballs “alla Romana” because they remind me of the classic Saltimbocca alla Romana. This traditional main course, found on almost all Roman menus, is a veal cutlet topped with prosciutto and sage sautéed quickly in butter. (“Saltimbocca” means jump in the mouth.) The chicken in this cocktail version remains amazingly moist because of the milk-soaked bread. The ham not only crisps up to form a heavenly crust, but also lends its intense flavor to the meatball within.

4 slices sturdy white bread (I like Pepperidge Farm), crusts removed
½ cup milk
1½ pounds ground chicken (or turkey), mixed light and dark meat
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, Percorino-Romano, or Grana Padano
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
18 to 20 leaves fresh sage
1/3 pound prosciutto, sliced thin
1 tablespoon butter

In a shallow bowl, soak the bread in the milk until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove the bread and squeeze out any excess milk.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread, chicken, cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Mix with your hands until mixture is extremely well combined.

Place several pieces of prosciutto onto a cutting board. Slice each piece crosswise into 3 or 4 smaller pieces about 3 by 2 inches. Place a sage leaf in the center of each of these new smaller pieces.

Place a bowl of cold water near your work surface for dipping your hands. With wet hands, take about 2 heaping tablespoons of the meat mixture and form oval patties. Place a patty over the sage leaf in the center of each prosciutto piece. Carefully wrap the sides of the prosciutto up around each patty. The prosciutto does not have to completely surround the chicken.

In a large, no-stick skillet, heat half the butter over medium-low heat. Fry the meatballs, seam side down for 5 minutes, until the prosciutto is crisp and is beginning to brown. Using 2 spoons, carefully flip the patties and cook the underside for 4 to 5 more minutes, until the meatballs are fully cooked.

Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Note: The meatballs can be prepared ahead, and kept covered in the refrigerator for up to two days before cooking them. If you cook the meatballs ahead and keep them in the refrigerator, reheat them for about a minute on each side in a skillet set over medium heat. They do not reheat well in the microwave.

Arthur’s Two-cents: I’d add several fresh gratings of nutmeg, which would heighten the other flavors.