In his survey of cooking pork from every part of the pig and using every possible cooking technique, Hog author Richard H. Turner presents recipes from around the world. This Italian-inspired recipe features sausage cooked over a bed of grapes. With grapes available year round, this dish does not have to wait for the fall harvest.
Here sausage meat is combined into full, flavorful meat balls. Some of the grapes are crushed so that the meat cooks in a combination of grape juice and shallots, all heavily adorned with herbs. This is a hearty dish, one that might be too warm for a summer night. But, I’m posting this in mid-May when we have a frost warning. This is just, just the dish I’d love for dinner tonight.
With your options for sausage meat and the grapes used, this dish can be employed throughout the year, each time a little different, and each time superb.
There are some page references here to Hog for sausage mix and pork broth. Those are my not too subtle ways to encourage you to purchase Hog for all the details, so you can cook this dish faithfully from beginning to end. Yes, you can adjust a bit, using the sausage meat and the broth of your choice. Don’t skimp on the grapes. Get the finest, freshest you can.
Here’s a link to my earlier review of Hog.
Polpette al Forno
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients:
- Scant ½ cup milk
- 1 ¼ cups bread crumbs
- 1 pound 2 ounces Basic Pork Sausage mix (see page 146) or that weight in the sausage of your choice, skins stripped off
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 banana shallots, split in half
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- 7 ounces seedless black grapes
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Scant ½ cup Master Pork Broth (see page 335) or broth of your choice
- ½ cup olive oil scant
- ½ cup red wine
- ½ cup good-quality balsamic vinegar
Preparation:
Pour the milk over the bread crumbs and allow to absorb, then mix with the sausage meat and Parmesan. Form the mixture into 12 equal-sized meatballs and place in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place the shallots in the bottom of a baking dish that will hold the grapes and meatballs in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper, and lay the meatballs and grapes on top. Using a wooden spoon, crush about one-third of the grapes to release their juice. Scatter the herbs over everything, season again, then add the pork broth, olive oil, red wine, and balsamic vinegar. Place in the oven and roast for 45 minutes, turning the meatballs from time to time, or until I cooked through.
Source: Hog by Richard H. Turner [Mitchell Beazley, 2015]