You know those recipes that remind you of home? The smells you recognize as soon as you walked through the door? Well, “vrascioli” is one of those recipes. Comfort food that’s easy to make, and grandmothers would often prepare them on Sunday morning, to serve them at lunch. “Vrasciola” literally means chop. But despite what we may think, in the southern dialects this word is generally used to indicate a roll and not a slice of meat with bone.
The term “vrasciola” already appears in the 19th century in the Trattato di cucina by Ippolito Cavalcanti, Duke of Buonvicino. With this name, the duke described rolls of various shapes – tuna or minced meat – which could then be served rolled or as croquettes. Hence, the custom in Calabria of calling meatballs vrascioli. And in Calabria they have a characteristic elongated shape. Served hot, they can be offered as an appetizer.
The recipe for Calabrian vrascioli
Ingredients
To prepare the Calabrian vrascioli you need: 1lb of minced meat (according to tradition, half beef, half pork), soaked stale bread, grated cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino), 2 eggs, chopped parsley, a clove of garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and salt.
Method
In a bowl, add the minced meat, stale bread squeezed out, eggs, grated cheese, chopped parsley and clove of garlic, and salt to taste. Knead everything together until you get a uniform mixture. Remove the balls, forming croquettes with an elongated shape. Fry them in plenty of oil until a golden crust appears. Dry them with absorbent paper and serve hot.