Family Meal Plan: Italian Calabrian Ricotta "Polpette" Meatless Balls+Terrific Five-Ingredient Tomato Sauce

Italian Itty-Bitty Calabrian Ricotta "Polpette" Meatless Balls

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• mix :

  to thoroughly combine two or more ingredients until uniform in texture.

• roll :

  to use a rolling pin to flatten dough; use your hands to form a roll or ball shape; or move a round food, like a grape or a meatball, through another food, like sugar or breadcrumbs, to coat it.

• simmer :

  to cook a food gently, usually in a liquid, until softened.

• slice :

  to cut into thin pieces using a sawing motion with your knife.

• stir :

  to mix together two or more ingredients with a spoon or spatula, usually in a circle pattern, or figure eight, or in whatever direction you like!

History of Meatballs!

• A type of meatball was recorded in Apicius, an ancient Roman cookbook from the 5th century CE. Around the same time, there were also early Persian (Iranian) recipes for large meatballs made from lamb. 
• The meatball is known all over the world in different varieties. It is a ground meat mixture formed into a ball shape and then baked, braised, fried, or steamed. 
• Most meatballs contain some type of binding agent, such as bread crumbs, egg, or both. The ground meat is seasoned and can be beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, or seafood. Sauces are sometimes added to the raw mixture before cooking, or a sauce or glaze is added to the meatballs while they cook. 
• Italian meatballs are called “polpette” (pole-pet-eh). They can be simmered in a tomato sauce (“al sugo”) or baked in the oven (“al forno”).
• Korean glazed meatballs are called "goji wanja jorim" (kohgee wahnjah chohreem). They are made with ground beef and pork and braised in a sweet and savory sauce. Vietnamese "bun cha" (boon tshah) are fried meatballs made with ground pork and served with a spicy sauce over rice vermicelli noodles. 
• Swedish meatballs, "köttbullar" (SHUT-boo-lahr), are made with ground beef or pork and beef, milk-soaked breadcrumbs, beaten eggs, minced onion, salt, and pepper. They are fried and served with boiled or mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam. 
• "Kofta" or "kofte" are meatballs found in some Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African countries. They are usually made with beef or lamb and mixed with spices. They may be cooked in a tomato sauce, baked, fried, grilled, or marinated. They may be served in soup or stew or with a spicy sauce. 
• In the United States, meatballs are often served with rice, pasta (like spaghetti!), or potatoes. However, they can also be added to sandwiches, soup, and pizza!

Let's Learn About Italy!

• Italy became a unified country in 1861, only 150 years ago. It is sometimes called "bel paese" or "beautiful country."  
• Italians invented the piano and the thermometer! 
• In ancient Roman mythology, two twin brothers named Romulus and Remus founded Rome, Italy's capital city. The myth says the twins were abandoned and then discovered by a she-wolf before being found and raised by a shepherd and his wife. Eventually (and after many exciting adventures), they found themselves at the location of Palatine Hill, where Romulus built "Roma." The Italian wolf became Italy's unofficial national animal. 
• In the 1930s and 40s, Mussolini, Italy's prime minister, and dictator tried to eliminate all foreign words from the Italian language. How did he do that? He just changed them! For example, in soccer, "goal" became "meta." Disney character names changed, too: Donald Duck became "Paperino;" Mickey Mouse became "Topolino;" and Goofy became "Pippo." Although they're not banned anymore, these words and names have stuck. So now if you go to the Italian Disneyland, called Gardaland Park, you will see Topolino and Pippo! 
• About 60 million people call Italy home, and it is 116,350 square miles, slightly larger than the US state of Arizona. If you compare that to the United Kingdom, 67 million people live there, and it is about 94,350 square miles. So, the UK is smaller than Italy but has a bigger population! 
• The Italian flag is green, white, and red. These colors represent hope, faith, and charity.
• The average Italian eats close to 55 pounds of pasta annually. If you think about how light pasta is, that is a considerable amount! There are more than 500 different types of pasta eaten in Italy today. 

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Italy?

• Kids begin school at 6 years old. They grow up speaking Italian, but they learn English in school, so many become bilingual in Italian and English.
• The most popular sport for kids is football (soccer). The Italian word for soccer is "calcio," the same word they use for "kick." A favorite of younger kids is "Rody, the bouncing horse," a plastic horse that a small child can hop onto and bounce around the room. Rody was invented in Italy in 1984.  
• The family ("la famiglia") is a central characteristic of Italian life. Children have great respect for their older relatives. It is traditional to name the first male child after the grandfather and the first female child after the grandmother.
• If kids live close to school, they can go home and have lunch with their families! Lunch at school might be pasta, meat with vegetables, a sandwich, or a salad with lots of ingredients. Families typically eat dinner later (7 to 8 pm), so kids end up staying up later, too!
• Between lunch and dinner, kids often enjoy "merenda," which is an afternoon snack that translates to "something that is deserved." It is really a mini-meal that can include both savory and sweet foods. Examples of savory foods are a salami or mortadella sandwich, a slice of rustic bread rubbed with a cut, raw tomato, or "pizza bianca" (white pizza without tomato sauce). Types of sweet foods eaten during merenda are "gelato" (a lower-fat type of ice cream), any kind of cake, or biscotti dipped in warm milk.