60 minutes
A delightful Catalan dish featuring pork and veal meatballs, served with a rich almond picada sauce.
each
0 lb
Ground Veal
0 lb
Firm White Sandwich Bread, crusts removed, soaked in water, and squeezed dry
0 oz
Small Onion, finely chopped
each
Garlic Clove, crushed to a paste
each
Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
tablespoons
to taste
to taste
Flour
for dredging
for frying
for frying
cups
cups
Saffron Threads
pinches
Lemon Zest, grated
each
teaspoons
Firm White Sandwich Bread, crust removed
slices
each
tablespoons
1. Prepare Meatball Mixture
Lightly beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the ground pork, ground veal, soaked and squeezed-dry bread, finely chopped onion, garlic paste, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together until well combined.
2. Shape and Coat Meatballs
Shape the mixture into balls about the size of large walnuts. Roll each meatball in flour to coat them lightly.
3. Fry Meatballs
Heat enough olive or sunflower oil in a wide skillet to cover the bottom. When the oil is hot enough that a small piece of bread sizzles when thrown in, fry the meatballs in batches until they are browned on all sides. Once browned, transfer the meatballs to paper towels to drain any excess oil.
4. Prepare Almond Sauce
Bring the chicken stock and white wine to a boil in a wide skillet. Add the saffron threads, grated lemon zest, salt, pepper, and sugar.
5. Make Picada
In a small skillet, heat the olive oil and fry the slice of bread, the almonds, and the garlic cloves until golden. Once fried, grind these ingredients into a paste using a mortar or food processor.
6. Combine Sauce and Meatballs
Stir the picada into the simmering sauce and then add the browned meatballs. Cover the skillet and let everything simmer together for about 20 minutes.
7. Serve Meatballs
Serve the meatballs hot, infused with the rich flavors of the almond picada sauce.
A Ligurian sauce traditionally made with basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, and olive oil, which can be used with pasta, chicken, or fish.
Swap the pork and veal for a combination of beef and pork, add Parmesan cheese, garlic, Italian herbs, and use in a classic tomato sauce.
Add chopped nuts to a classic salsa verde made with parsley, capers, anchovies, and olive oil for a twist on the traditional sauce, great with grilled meats.
A Catalan sauce made with almonds or hazelnuts, roasted red peppers, garlic, and vinegar, perfect for seafood or vegetables.
The Almond Picada Sauce is a versatile element that can be used as a template for creating other rich and flavorful nut-based sauces.
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