Made from ground corn, polenta is a staple in Northern Italy. Smooth and creamy once cooked you can add different ingredients, such as parmesan cheese or fresh herbs and garlic, to add flavour to this hearty side dish.
Serves 4
500g lamb mince
¼ cup finely grated parmesan
½ cup purchased dried breadcrumbs
⅓ cup continental parsley, roughly chopped
1 large lemon, finely grated rind and 2 tbsp juice
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup plain flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1½ cups chicken stock
½ cup white wine
4 bay leaves
soft polenta, to serve
1 lemon (extra), halved lengthways,
sliced wafer-thin, to serve
1 Combine mince, parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon rind and egg in a bowl and mix until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Roll 2 tbsp of the mixture into a ball. Put on a plate. Form remaining mixture into balls. Lightly coat meatballs in flour, shaking off excess.
2 Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When hot add half of the meatballs and cook, shaking pan every few minutes, for 8 minutes or until browned on all sides. Transfer to a large plate. Cook remaining meatballs.
3 Put stock and wine in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add meatballs to pan with bay leaves and lemon juice. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Shake pan from time to time until meatballs are cooked through and liquid has reduce by half. Serve meatballs on a bed of soft polenta. Spoon over sauce with bay leaves and add slices of lemon.
