The students made zucchini balls by grating zucchini, mixing it with bread crumbs, rolling the mixture into balls, and then baking them in the oven. (Image courtesy of Jeremy Keith of Flickr. CC-BY.) In this lesson, you will learn:
How to prepare:
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Lesson 5
Watch two videos:
Lesson 5, Part 2: Ingredients and Vocabulary
Lesson 5, Part 3: Cooking Instruction
Le Polpette di Carne, di Tonno e Vegetariane/Meatballs, Tuna Balls, Vegetarian “Meatballs”
Ingredienti
Listen to a list of the ingredients for this week’s dish.
Ascolta e ripeti./Listen and repeat (MP3 - 3.8MB)
Polpette di Carne/Meatballs
Ingredients
- la car-ne di man-zo ma-ci-na-ta
- Il ma-ci-na-to
- la sal-sic-cia
- ci-pol-la
- a-glio
- il par-mi-gia-no
- il prez-ze-mo-lo
- l’uo-vo
- il pan-grat-ta-to
- l’er-ba ci-pol-li-na
- il ton-no in sca-to-la
- la ri-cot-ta/a light cheese (literally “cooked twice”. Most recipes in which you use cream cheese, you can use ricotta instead and it is much lighter.)
- la no-ce mos-ca-ta/nutmeg
- la lat-tu-ga
- l’in-sa-la-ta ro-ma-na
- il po-mo-do-ri-no
- l’a-ce-to bal-sa-mi-co
Ingredienti Per 2 Persone
- 200 g di carne macinata (ground meat; we used a mix of beef and sausages with the skin removed)
- 1-2 cipolle/onions
- aglio/garlic (as much or as little as you like)
- olio d’oliva/olive oil
- parmigiano grattugiato/grated parmesan cheese
- prezzemolo/italian parsley (1 bunch)
- sale
- spezie/spices (include noce moscata/nutmeg)
Optional:
- pan grattato/bread crumbs)
- One uovo/egg
- passata di pomodoro/strained tomatoes
- zucchero/sugar
Preparazione/Directions
You can cook the meatballs in three different ways: deep fried, sautéed or in tomato sauce.
This recipe is for the last two options. If you want to fry them, follow the same steps (2→5) then deep fry them and drain the oil on paper towels.
- In a large pan prepare a soffritto/sweat with chopped garlic and onions. If you plan to use tomato sauce you can make the sweat with very little oil; otherwise you can use a couple of spoonfuls of olive oil and more onions or other veggies (e.g. carrots, celery).
- In the meantime, mince the rest of the onions and the parsley.
- Combine the ground meat, minced onions, parsley, a pinch of salt, and your favorite spices.
- Optional (more heavy): add some bread crumbs and one egg.
- Make small meatballs: if they are smaller they cook faster. I like them the size of a walnut.
- Add the meatballs to the sweat, increase the heat and saute until brown on all sides, and all the water they release evaporates.
- (over 21: add a glass of red wine and simmer until the alcohol is evaporated)
- Le polpette sono pronte!/ The meatballs are are ready!
- If you like them in tomato sauce, take a box of plain strained tomatoes (e.g. Pomì) and mix with the meatballs. Add salt and a little of sugar. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, until the sauce is thick.
In the U.S. meatballs are usually served on top of pasta. We typically serve meatballs as a second course, with some veggies as a side.
In class we made a salad with lattuga/insalata romana/romaine lettuce, pomodorini/cherry tomatoes and the basic italian _condimento/_dressing: salt, extra virgin olive oil, and vinegar or a little lemon juice.
Polpette Di Zucchine/Zucchini Balls
Ingredienti Per 2 Persone
- Two zucchini
- One spicchio di aglio/garlic clove
- One uovo/egg
- Pan grattato/Pangrattato (Pan for pane=bread, grattato=grated→bread crumbs)
- 50 g pecorino romano grattuggiato (grated). You can also use parmesan instead, or another hard cheese
- One bunch of erba cipollina/chives. Good alternatives: mint or parsley
- spezie/spices e.g. a tiny bit of nutmeg and/or cardamom, curry (not used much in the Italian kitchen)
- olio d’oliva/olive oil
- sale (salt)
Preparazione/Directions
- Make a soffritto/sweatwith garlic (minced, or in disks, or as a whole, based on your taste).
- In the meantime wash and grate the zucchini.
- When the garlic is a little translucent, add the grated zucchini and cook at high heat, add salt and spices.
- When most of the water from the zucchini is evaporated, remove from heat and let cool.
- Pre-heat the oven at 200 degrees C (about 400 degrees F) C=Celsius or centigradi.
- In a bowl combine the zucchini, mix with the egg, grated cheese, minced chives. You can use your hands to mix everything. Optional: you can add roasted pine nuts.
- Add the plain bread crumbs: you want to add them to get a more solid consistency, but if you add too many bread crumbs the zucchini balls will be hard and less tasty.
- Make zucchini balls of about one inch in diameter.
- Optional: you can gently roll them in bread crumbs
- Take an oven tray and spread a thin coat of olive oil.
- Cuocere in forno a 200 degrees C (circa 400 degrees F) for about 15 minuti.
Polpette Di Tonno/Tuna Balls
Ingredienti Per 2 Persone
- 200 g tonno in olio d’oliva/canned tuna in olive oil
- One uovo/egg
- 30 g parmigiano grattuggiato/grated parmesan
- 100 g ricotta cheese
- 50 g pan grattato/pangrattato (Pan for pane=bread, grattato=grated→bread crumbs)
- Optional: prezzemolo/Italian parsley, 1 bunch
- spezie/spices
- olio d’oliva/olive oil
- sale/salt
Preparazione/Directions
- Drain the tuna.
- In a bowl combine the tuna, grated parmesan, egg, ricotta, spices, bread crumbs, and a pinch of salt. If you want, include some minced leaves of parsley.
- Make tuna balls of the size of a cherry tomato.
- Saute them in a large pan with very little olive oil until golden.
- Alternatively, you can bake them.
Lezione Numero Cinque/Lesson Number Five
Watch a video:
Lesson 5, Part 1: Language Instruction
La Festa Della Donna/International Women’s Day
- Oggi è giovedì otto marzo duemiladodici (8/3/2012). È un giorno importante, è la festa della donna!!!! (International Women’s Day, literally “woman celebration.”)
- L’otto marzo è (is) a day to honor all the women and to remind ourselves of the continued awareness and action required to ensure equality in every aspect in life.
- La Festa Della Donna is recognized in many countries, including the U.S., but it is not very popular here; I find it ironic. Living in Cambridge, I had the opportunity to appreciate how much more fair the working conditions are here than in Italy. Moreover, all the institutions in the U.S. are discussing and working actively to reach a more complete and real equality. Yet in this same country nobody today told me Auguri/_Felicitations! (Literally “wishes!”). _Buona Festa Della Donna/_Happy Women’s Day!!!_ (Literally “good celebration of the woman”). Buffo/funny.
Anyway, at school in Italy we learn that the origin of this day is rooted in two events that happened outside Italy:
- L'8 marzo 1857 (milleottocentocinquantasette) uno sciopero (a strike, very important word if you travel in Italia!!) by garment workers in New York lead to the formation of the first women’s union in the U.S. Some historians say that this sciopero never happened! What is true? Non lo so.
- L'8 marzo 1917 (millenovecentodiciassette) (il 23 febbraio according to the Julian calendar), Russian women started a sciopero in St Petersburg, per il pane e per la pace/for bread and peace.
- L'8 marzo was declared Women’s Day in Italy in 1945, and on this day men and women bring to women in their lives a traditional gift: a small branch of mimosa (acacia dealbata—native to Australia). The mimosa is a reminder of the constant struggle for equality, justice, peace, and development. On a more trivial level, the bright yellow and the sweet smell of mimosas are telling us that spring has arrived. Ah! _Mi mancano le mimose/_I miss mimosas. (Literally “mimosas are missing to me”).
Now you can relax and listen to a couple of popular Italian songs about women!
Fornarciari
- "Donne" by Zucchero Fornaciari. March 8, 2008. YouTube. Accessed May 13, 2013.
- “Una Donna Per Amico” by Lucio Battisti. July 14, 2011. YouTube. Accessed May 13, 2013.
Esercizio/Exercise
Leggi ascolta e ripeti./Read, listen, and repeat.
Leggi ascolta e ripeti (MP3 - 4.7MB)
Text to use for exercise:
- Oggi è giovedì otto marzo duemiladodici.
- Oggi è un giorno importante, è la festa della donna!!!!
- Auguri/Felicitations! (Literally"wishes!" We use it in every happy occasion/celebration.)
- Buona festa della donna/ Happy Women’s Day!!! (Literally “good celebration of the woman”)
- 1857 (milleottocentocinquantasette)
- 1917 ( millenovecentodiciassette)
- il 23 febbraio
- Mi mancano le mimose/I miss mimosas. (Literally “Mimosas are missing to me.”).
- Mi manca il cappuccino/ I miss cappuccino. (Literally “Cappuccino is missing to me.”).
La Mia Giornata Tipica/My Typical Day
Oggi in class we talked about our typical day (giornata tipica). Why giornata and not giorno? They are both ok, but we use giornata mostly to emphasize the day as a long event: e.g. buongiorno! (formal hello, in the morning/afternoon) buona giornata (have a good day!). The same is true for sera and serata: buonasera (good evening), buona serata (enjoy the rest of the evening).
Com’è la tua (your) giornata tipica?
These are some of the answers we came up with durante la lezione (during (the) class):
| ITALIAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Mi sveglio. |
I wake up. (Literally, “I wake myself up.”) (Mi sveglio is the 1st person sing. of the reflexive verb svegliarsi) |
| (Mi) faccio la doccia. | I shower. (faccio is the 1st person sing. of the irr. verb fare) |
| Faccio colazione. | I have breakfast. |
| Vado al lavoro. | I go to work. (vado is the 1st person sing. of the irr. verb andare= to go) |
| Vado a scuola. |
I go to school. In Italy we say I go to school to refer to elementary, middle and highschool. If you are going to college you would say … ) |
| Vado all’università. | I go to university. |
| Come vai al lavoro? | How do you go to work? (Vai is the 2nd person sing. of the irr. verb andare) |
| Vado a piedi/in bicicletta/in auto or in macchina/in bus. | On foot/on bicycle/by car/on a bus. |
| Pranzo. | I have lunch. (1st person sing. of pranzare). |
| Dopo avere mangiato bevo il caffè | After drinking coffee (Literally, “After having eaten, I drink coffee.”) |
| Faccio i compiti. | I do the assignments. |
| Vado in palestra. | I go to the gym. |
| Cucino e mangio la cena. | I cook and eat dinner. |
| Mi lavo i denti. | I brush my teeth. (Literally, “I wash myself the teeth.”) |
| Dormo. | I sleep. |
Durante il fine settimana/_During the weekend …_
| ITALIAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Dormo tanto. | I sleep a lot. |
| Leggo. | I read. |
| Ascolto musica. | I listen to music. |
| Faccio la lavatrice. | I do laundry. (Literally, “I do the washing machine.”) |
| Esco con gli amici. |
I go out with friends. (esco, 1st person singular of the irr. verb uscire, to go out) |
Dialogue
Listen to the dialogue (between me and me with my voice transformed in Garage band):
La giornata tipica
Food in Italian Culture
Food plays a central role in the Italian culture: ci (= a noi) piace mangiare (to eat), cucinare e parlare (to talk) di cibo (about food) all the time.
The daily activities are all organized around meals, when you take a break, and when meet with friends and family and eat.
This is a list of the main meals:
- La colazione ((the) breakfast)
- Il pranzo ((the) lunch)
- La merenda ((the) mid-afternoon snack)
- L’aperitivo ((the) aperitiv)
- La cena ((the) dinner)
Ascolta e ripeti./Listen and repeat.
If you are invited for a meal by an Italian family, beware. Leave space in your belly for all the courses! Il pranzo e la cena tradizionali hanno many courses (molte portate), but nowadays many families prepare un piatto unico per pasto/one single dish per meal.
The traditional meal is composed of:
- L’antipasto (the starter)
- Il primo (the first course: pasta, rice, soups)
- Il secondo (the second course: meat, fish, eggs, etc.)
- Il contorno (the side dish: lots of veggies, cheese)
- Il dolce (dessert Literally l"the sweet" )
Ascolta e ripeti./Listen and repeat.
Compiti/Assignments
Esercizi/Exercises
- Pick an activity from the Languages Online-Italian website. Solve it and print it out.
- Record yourself talking about your giornata tipica.
Course Info
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As Taught In
Spring
2012
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