Creamy Polenta and Meatballs
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Beef & Veal; easy; Italian; Main Ingredient
Description
Creamy Polenta and Meatballs – creamy and delicious, with the warm wintery fragrance of sage.
Ingredients
Meatballs
1 C (250 ml) white bread crumbs
375 g beef mince
125 g diced bacon
1 egg
1 clove garlic
10 g sage leaves, finely chopped
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil for frying
Mushroom sauce
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
30 g butter
200 g exotic mushrooms
1 C (250 ml) mascarpone
20 sage leaves
Creamy Polenta
1 l milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
170 g instant polenta
50 g butter
100 g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
To make the meatballs, place all the ingredients, (except the oil), in a bowl and mix to combine.
Roll tablespoons of the mince mixture into meatballs.
Place a medium-sized frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil reaches temperature, fry the meatballs in batches for 4 – 5 minutes, until evenly browned and cooked through.
For the mushroom sauce, heat the oil and 20 g of butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the mushrooms until golden brown. Add the mascarpone and heat through, but do not let it boil.
Heat the remaining butter in another frying pan and fry the sage leaves until crispy.
To make the polenta, heat the milk, salt and pepper in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Gradually add the polenta, whisking continuously for 3 – 4 minutes, until the polenta had cooked and thickened. Add the butter and Parmesan and stir until incorporated. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
To assemble, place the polenta in a large bowl, add the meatballs, top with the mushrooms and garnish with crispy sage leaves. Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan and serve.
