Chicken and Ricotta with Pink Tomato Sauce
From: Simply Tuscan by Pino Luongo
submitted by Betty G.
For the meatballs:
1/2 pound ground chicken
1/2 pound ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Flour, for dusting
Vegetable oil, for frying
Sauce:
6 cups Basic Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 leaves fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
Bake the meatballs, in a bowl, mix together all the
ingredients except the flour and oil. Use your hands; make
sure that all the ingredients are evenly distributed
throughout the mixture. Put a heap of flour in a large towel
or plate. Keeping your hands well dusted, form the mixture
into 2" balls, rolling each one in flour before lining them
up in a single layer on a floured tray. Chili the tray of
meatballs in the refrigerator for 30 min. to firm them up.
In a deep pan set over medium-high heat fry the meatballs
in 5" of very hot oil (375 degrees F - a drop of water will
sizzle and splatter) until they turn golden, about 5 min.
Fry the meatballs in Patches so as not to crowd the pan. As
they are done, transfer them to drain on paper towels.
Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer in a saucepan, then add
the butter, Parmesan, and basil. Process for a minute in a
food processor (or use a hand-held immersion blender just
until homogenous). Pour the sauce into a large, heavy
casserole, bring it to a boll, reduce the heat to low;
carefully drop in the meatballs. Simmer for 10-15 min. to
make sure the meatballs are warmed through by the sauce,
stirring frequently but gently to prevent them from sticking
to the bottom. Arrange the meatballs and sauce on a serving
platter; sprinkle with the parsley.
Basic Tomato Sauce
Yeild: 3-4 cups
2 1/4 pounds ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped into 1/4" dice
1/2 carrot, chopped into 1/4" dice
1/2 stalk celery, chopped into 1/4" dice
1 clove garlic
6 basil leaves
Wash the tomatoes; chop them coarsely. In a skillet, warm
the olive oil over medium heat; brown the vegetables and
the garlic clove until the onion is translucent, 3-4 min.
Add the tomatoes and half the basil leaves, and cook for
about 30 min. Remove from the heat and add the remaining
basil. Pass through a food mill.
