Meatballs “Cacio e Ova”

This recipe, with its origins in Medieval Abruzzo, was typically considered a poor man’s supper and is prepared without meat, using only cheaper ingredients such as bread, cheese, and egg. Meatballs made in this traditional way are first fried and then cooked in a tomato based sauce. This is an ancient recipe, used frequently in times when meat was a considered a luxury and would be eaten as a main course during supper.

Cost: Minimal

Level: Easy

Time: Approximately an hour

Ingredients:

Day-old bread
Parsley (chopped to your liking)
6 eggs (the original recipe would have called for 1 egg per 100gr of cheese)
150 gr Pecorino cheese (or half Pecorino and half Parmigiano and crumbled day-old bread)
½ Golden Onion
Tomato Purée
4 Tomatoes
Garlic
Oil
Salt

Preparation

Preparation: Start by softening the bread using water. When the bread is soft, remove excess water by softly squeezing. Mix the eggs, cheese, chopped parsley, finely chopped garlic, and salt together. Add the bread to make the mixture firm and continue to blend it together. Roll it into round balls or oval shaped ones and let them rest for a while.

Sauce Preparation: Carefully brown the onions in 4 tablespoons of oil. Add the tomato purée, the chopped tomatoes, add salt, and let it cook under cover for at least half an hour, stirring from time to time. Put the meatballs in the tomato sauce and let it cook for another 15 minutes on low. The dish should be served warm, but not hot.

This sauce can also be paired with fresh pasta such as chitarra, maltagliati, cavatelli and a good Montepulciano wine from Abruzzo.