From Domenica Marchetti’s Substack
Ingredients:
For the meatballs: 2 cups fresh bread crumbs, from sturdy, open-crumb bread 1/2 cup whole milk 3/4 pound ground pork 3/4 pound ground beef 1 clove garlic, grated 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley 1 tablespoon dry white wine Fine sea salt 1 large egg, lightly beaten Sunflower oil for frying (see Cook’s Note) For the sauce: 1 clove garlic, lightly smashed 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound Swiss chard, stems cut into bite-sized pieces, leaves sliced crosswise Fine sea salt Pinch of red pepper flakes 1/3 cup golden raisins 4 cups tomato purée For the polenta: 6 cups water 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more as needed 1 cup finely ground cornmeal 1/2 cup medium-ground polenta 3 tablespoons butter
Preparation:
Make the meatballs. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs and milk in a small bowl and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, until the bread is softened. Squeeze out the excess milk and place the bread in a large bowl. Add the pork and beef, garlic, cheese, parsley, wine, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour in the egg and mix everything together thoroughly. Form the mixture into small (two-bite) meatballs and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until browned.
Make the Swiss chard-tomato sauce. Place the garlic and olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Cook, pressing on the garlic once or twice, for about 3 minutes, until the garlic releases its flavor. Stir in the chard stems, raise the heat to medium, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the leaves, cover, and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes and cook another 5 minutes, until the chard releases some juices.Stir in the raisins. There should be some pan juices from the chard at this point, but if not, pour in about 1/2 cup water and cook for a few minutes to allow the raisins to plump up. Stir in the tomato puree and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meatballs to the sauce. Cover the sauce pot partially and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
Make the polenta. Measure the water and salt into a medium Dutch oven and whisk in the cornmeal in a steady stream. Adding the cornmeal before the water heats up will prevent lumps. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often to prevent the polenta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, for about 45 minutes, until the grains are fully cooked. The polenta should be thick and creamy but still pourable. If you find it is too thick towards the end of cooking, stir in a little more water. When the polenta is done, taste and season with more salt if needed. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the butter. Spoon the polenta a deep serving platter and spoon the meatballs and sauce on top. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmigiano on top and serve. Or spoon the polenta into individual shallow bowls and spoon the meatballs and sauce on top. Sprinkle each with cheese and serve.