These delicious agretti meatballs with ricotta, pecorino and lime are soft and tasty. With a glass of white wine, they are ideal for lunch with friends.
The lime scent of the agretti, ricotta and pecorino meatballs further underlines the pleasant lightness of this typically spring vegetable.
- 250 G agretti
- 125 G ricotta made from fresh cow’s milk
- 1 spoon grated pecorino
- 1 egg
- 60 G breadcrumbs and other breadcrumb stuff
- 1 clove garlic
- Zest of half a lime (maybe raw)
- olive oil extra virgin
- salt and pepper
Start making the agretti and ricotta meatballs by cleaning the agretti. Remove the hardest red part of them, if they still exist, and wash them carefully, then scald them in lightly salted boiling water to 5-8 minutesdrain them, squeeze and let cool.
In the meantime, mix the ricotta with the egg, pecorino, grated lime zest and a peeled and pressed clove of garlic in a bowl.
Add the agretti to the resulting mixture chopped with a knifeseason with salt and pepper, then add the breadcrumbs and mix until you have a smooth and fluffy mixture.
Wet your hands and form small balls from the mixture and roll them in breadcrumbs. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan, add the meatballs and let them cook causing them to spin quite often on their own. When they are golden, remove them from the heat, place them on a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper to remove excess oil, and serve immediately with a sprinkle of still-grated lime zest.
Interesting facts and advice
You can also cook agretti steamy for better preservation of their organoleptic properties. In fact, they are rich in mineral salts and generous in vitamin C. You can flavor these meatballs by adding chopped leaves fresh mint in batter or sprinkle the meatballs with chopped mint before serving. They are also good to enjoy at room temperature.
- Clean the agretti, wash them carefully and then blanch them in lightly salted boiling water for 5-8 minutes.
- Drain, squeeze and let the agretti cool.
- In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the egg, pecorino cheese, grated lime zest and a clove of garlic.
- Add the agretti cut with a knife to the resulting mixture, season with salt and pepper, add breadcrumbs and mix everything.
- Wet your hands and form small balls from the mixture and roll them in breadcrumbs.
- Heat two spoons of oil in a non-stick pan, add the meatballs and let them fry until golden.
- Remove the meatballs from the heat, place them on a plate with absorbent kitchen paper and serve immediately sprinkled with grated lime zest.