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4.84 from 6 votes

Meatballs with Blueberry Compote

Known in Italy as polpette con composta di mirtilli, a lovely meatball dish, served in a poppy seed tart shell, with a blueberry compote. Adapted from La Cucina Italiana Magazine.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6
Author: Angela Roberts

Ingredients

  • MEATBALL INSTRUCTIONS
  • 1 slice white sandwich bread torn into large pieces
  • 1/2 cup low fat milk
  • 1/4 pound ground pork
  • 3/4 pound grass fed ground beef
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 1/2 slices proscuitto finely chopped
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • olive oil for frying
  • 1/3 cup white wine
  • pastry dough see below for recipe Can substitute with store bought puff pastry
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds optional
  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • COMPOTE INGREDIENTS
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium pear peeled, cored, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
  • 1/4 cup blueberries
  • 3 tablespoons dry vermouth can use white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  • Make pie dough according to directions found below, or use store bought puff pastry.
  • MEATBALL INSTRUCTIONS
  • Combine pork, ground beef and one egg.
  • Add bread, prosciutto, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Combine with hands gently. Do not overwork.
  • Form into 3/4 tablespoon portions and form meatballs. Fry in olive oil for 3 minutes.
  • Add 1/3 cup wine. Reduce heat to low, continue to cook 12 more minutes until wine is reduced. Add 2 tablespoons of butter a little at a time until butter is melted.
  • PASTRY INSTRUCTIONS
  • Roll out pastry dough. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Cut circles with a biscuit cutter and put into small tart pans.
  • Bake covered with parchment paper and pie weights at 375 for 10 minutes. Remove foil and pie weights. Bake until golden another 10-12 minutes.

COMPOTE INSTRUCTION

  • Heat 2 tablespoons butter in medium pan. Add shallots, pear and blueberries until cooked through about one minute.
  • Add dry vermouth, sugar, cinnamon, dash salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, continue to cook for about 6-8 minutes, and mash to make a compote consistency.
  • Arrange each tart shell with meatballs. Pour in wine sauce.
  • Top with compote.
  • Serve in larger tart shell as an entree. Serve in smaller tart shells as appetizers

Notes

This recipes can be made into entree using a small 4 inch tart shells or smaller appetizers using, cutting into 4 inch rounds and pressing into muffin pans. The original recipe uses 50/50 ratio of veal and ground pork. I used grassfed ground beef and ground pork in 3-1 ratio.