RIGATONI AL FORNO CON LE POLPETTINE

RIGATONI AL FORNO CON LE POLPETTINE image

Categories Pasta

Yield 8 people

Number Of Ingredients 22

Ingredients

Meatballs:
1/4 cup milk
1 slice good white bread trimmed of its crust
1 pound ground pork (or lamb or beef)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
1 egg
salt & pepper
1 cup flour spread on plate and vegetable oil for frying
Bechamel:
3 cups milk
6 tablespoons butter
4 1/2 T flour
1 pound rigatoni
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
Pinch salt
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk
For Bechemal:
Make the bechamel: Heat the milk over low heat until it forms a ring of pearly bubbles, but do not let it break into a boil. While the milk is being heated, melt the butter in a separate pan over low heat. When the butter melts, add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. When the flour has been wholly amalgamated with the butter, but before it becomes colored, remove from the heat. Add 2 tablespoons of milk at a time to the flour and butter mixture, stirring steadily and thoroughly. Add 2 more tablespoons of milk when the first 2 have been incorporated smoothly and evenly into the butter and flour. Stir and repeat the operation until you have put in 8 tablespoons of milk. At this point you can add the milk 1/2 cup at a time, always stirring steadily to obtain a homogeneous mixture. When all the milk has been worked in, place the pan over low heat, add the pinch of salt, and stir without interruption until the bechamel is as dense as a thick cream.

Steps:

1. For meatballs. Warm the milk in a small saucepan without letting it simmer. Turn off the heat and add the slice of white bread. Let it soak for a little while, then pick up the bread with your hand and squeeze it gently to force off excess milk. Put the bread in a mixing bowl. 2. Add the pork, garlic, parsley, grated cheese, egg, salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Combine all the ingredients with a fork until mixed evenly. 3. Pinch off 2 small lumps of meat, each about the size of a raspberry. Place them about 2 inches apart on the palm of one hand. Bring the other palm over them and, keeping both palms flat, roll the lumps into little balls, using a circular movement while applying slight but steady pressure. 4. When all the meatballs have been shaped, roll them in the flour, 15 to 20 at a time. Place the floured meatballs in a strainer and shake it smartly to dispose of excess flour. 5. Put enough vegetable oil in a skillet to rise 1/4 inch up the sides of the pan and turn on the heat to medium high. When the oil is hot, put as many meatballs in the skillet as will fit without overcrowding. Brown them until they form a nice crust all around. When one batch is done, transfer it with a slotted spoon to a platter covered with paper towels to drain and do the next batch until all are done. 6. Make bechamel - see above. 7. Cook the rigatoni in a pot of abundant boiling salted water. Drain when just barely done but still quite firm. Combine immediately in a bowl with two-thirds of the bechamel, half the grated cheese, and all the meatballs. 8. Turn on the oven to 400°. 9. Thickly smear the bottom and sides of a pan with the butter. Put in the rigatoni, leveling them off with a spatula. Pour the milk over them, spread the rest of the bechamel on top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. 10. Place in the uppermost level of the preheated oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until top is golden brown.