Pork and lemon polpettine

These are gorgeous little balls that we normally serve over steamed white rice. The ingredients list is flexible and sometimes I use this as the basis for pork burgers. I am reproducing this recipe on-line because it has disappeared from the BBC’s archive :-(

Authors: Nigel Slater, "The Kitchen Diaries"
Serves: 2

50 g fresh white breadcrumbs
400 g pork mince
1 lemon
handful parsley; roughly chopped
6 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp parmesan cheese; grated
6-10 (according to taste) anchovy fillets; chopped
flour
To cook:
2 tbsp olive oil
200 ml chicken stock
To serve:
Steamed rice and/or a green salad

Put the breadcrumbs and pork in a mixing bowl and grate in the lemon zest. Halve the lemon and squeeze. Add the lemon juice to the pork with the parsley and the thyme leaves stripped from their stems. Tip in the parmesan and the chopped anchovy fillets. Season with a little salt and black pepper, and mix thoroughly. Make about 18 small balls of the mixture, using a tablespoon of pork for each one, and place on a floured baking sheet. Warm the olive oil and butter in a heavy-based pan. Roll the patties lightly in the flour on the baking sheet, then fry them in the oil about 8 at a time, for 4-5 minutes, until they are crisply golden on each side. Lower the heat and leave to cook through to the middle - a matter of 6-8 minutes more. Turn them no more than once or twice during cooking, so they develop a crisp, slightly sticky exterior. Tip the fat from the pan then pour in the chicken stock. Leave to bubble for 2-3 minutes, scraping and stirring the pan stickings. Let the stock bubble down a bit,

Pile steamed rice onto 4 plates then divide the patties between them and spoon over the juices from the pan.

Serve with a green salad!

Tags: pork, lemon, meat, balls, pasta, rice