Ladies of the night!

   Now I got your attention, didn't I? Well, today's post is about mini pulpety (Polish meatballs) in Puttanesca sauce! You wonder why the title than? Puttanesca in Italian means nothing other than "ladies of the night"... actually it translates to only one word, but it's a family friendly blog and I'm not gonna use the "W" word!!! You probably also wonder why I said pulpety rather than meatballs, but the difference is that pulpety are cooked in a sauce (or water), rather then being baked or seared with oil, which makes them much healthier (and it also sounds much better that way!). So the dish is half Polish (meat) and half Italian (sauce) ... and the marriage is just delicious! And to make things even more interesting lets throw a Japanese accent in and serve it with Soba noodles. It looks dark and naughty, but hey... you saw the title! Here is the recipe that serves 6:

Pulpety:

*  1 lb lean ground turkey
*  1/2 cup bread crumbs
*  1 egg
*  2 tbsp grilling seasoning
*  3/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Puttanesca sauce:

*  1 large onion, chopped
*  3 garlic cloves, minced
*  1 tbsp anchovy paste
*  1  32oz can crushed tomatoes
*  3 tbsp capers
*  4 tbsp chopped black olives
*  1 cup fresh chopped parsley
*  1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
*  1 tbsp olive oil
*  salt and pepper

*  1 lb Soba noodles

Directions:

1. To make pulpety, combine meat, bread crumbs, egg, parsley and grilling seasoning. Using your hands, mix everything together and roll small balls (about one inch in diameter). From 1 lb of ground meat you should get about 30 balls (I told you they are mini). Place them on a plate and set aside until the sauce is ready.
2. To make the sauce, in a deep pan heat the olive oil, add anchovy paste, onions and garlic. Cook everything for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, olives, capers, red pepper flakes, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to boil.
4. Reduce the heat, gently drop the meat balls in a sauce, covering them completely. Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
5. In a meantime cook Soba noodles in salted water for about 6-7 minutes.
6. To serve pour sauce and pulpety over bed of Soba noodles.

   So delicious. Rich and earthy, but still light and healthy. No cream, no heavy sauces, no fatty meats. Red pepper flakes definitely give it some kick, so if you are not a fan of it you may want to skip them. Pulpety are tender and flavorful, the sauce is thick, but light and fresh. Capers and olives add some saltines which balances the acid from tomatoes. It's a really great dish!

Enjoy,
Magda.