Sicilian Minced Meat Balls With Eggs -- Purpittuni di Capuliatu

I recently received a request for Sicilian meatballs stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, and finding them has proven more difficult than I expected. However, Pino Correnti gives a recipe in his delightful book, Il Grande libro d'Oro della Cucina e dei Vini di Sicilia. The basic recipe calls for:

• 1 1/8 pounds (500 g) ground beef (not too lean)
• 1 1/8 pounds (500 g) ground pork
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• An onion, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup (50 g) grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/2 cup (50 g) breadcrumbs
• A small bunch parsley, minced
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 1/4 cup rendered lard or olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the onion in the oil, and when it begins to color, add the garlic and then the tomato sauce, followed by half the red wine. Allow the mixture to cool, and combine it with the ground meats, the beaten eggs, the breadcrumbs, the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Shape the mixture into a meatloaf and slip the hardboiled eggs into it. Heat the lard or oil in a pot and brown the meatloaf on all sides, turning it carefully lest it break. As soon as the crust is firm, add the remaining tomato sauce and wine and simmer it until done.

There are several variations.

• The meatloaf can be made with just ground beef
• It can be oven roasted, and sprinkled several times with red wine as it cooks
• It can be made without cheese or breadcrumbs
• It can be made with diced caciocavallo cheese
• And so on

About meatballs and meatloaf

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