Meat Lover vs. Meatless Meatballs: Which Vegetarian Recipe Can Compete with Meat?

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  • Опубліковано 4 чер 2024
  • #meatballs #polpette #vegetarian
    Sometimes we have guests who don't eat meat, in which case Eva and her family whip up some vegetarian or pescatarian "meatball" variations. I always avoided them as a MEATball lover, but realized recently that the Italian word "polpetta" doesn't at all suggest that meat must be used.
    Turns out that these supposed meatball alternatives are actually amazing polpette recipes in their own right. The only question is... which of them, if any, can compete with meat?
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    TUNA MEATBALL RECIPE - www.pastagrammar.com/post/pol...
    RICOTTA MEATBALL RECIPE - www.pastagrammar.com/post/pol...
    EGGPLANT MEATBALL RECIPE - www.pastagrammar.com/post/pol...
    --------
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    00:00 - Can These Meat-Free Meatballs Compete with Meat?
    02:15 - How to Make Vegetarian Eggplant Meatballs
    06:54 - How to Make Pescatarian Tuna Fish Meatballs
    09:22 - How to Make Vegetarian Ricotta Cheese Meatballs
    13:12 - How to Cook Fried Eggplant Meatballs
    15:11 - Meatless Meatball Showdown
    16:06 - Tasting the Tuna Fish Meatball Recipe
    16:36 - Tasting the Ricotta Cheese Meatball Recipe
    18:08 - Tasting the Eggplant Meatball Recipe
    19:10 - Final Meatball Judgement
    21:40 - Pasta Grammarian in Action!

КОМЕНТАРІ • 802

  • @PastaGrammar
    @PastaGrammar  8 місяців тому +36

    If you had to pick just one to try, which would it be?

    • @carolvan664
      @carolvan664 8 місяців тому +4

      Love them all, but have a bounty of eggplant from the garden and always looking for recipes to try! The others are just as exciting!

    • @emmahope6370
      @emmahope6370 8 місяців тому +4

      Difficile scelta.....

    • @robinthce
      @robinthce 8 місяців тому +6

      The ricotta one is most intriguing, but they all sound great! Meatless Monday coming up!!!❤ I want you to know, I've never bought tuna so much as when I'm making your recipes! In 43 years of marriage I have never bought chicken of the sea...nope, nope, nope! I'm able to find the "good stuff" and it truly makes a difference! 🎉👩‍🍳🥰
      Thanks again!

    • @HopeLaFleur1975
      @HopeLaFleur1975 8 місяців тому +2

      Meat ..Meat and more meat❤

    • @TheCelestialhealer
      @TheCelestialhealer 8 місяців тому +8

      Eggplant first🎉

  • @toushabonzai
    @toushabonzai 8 місяців тому +88

    When I visited Italy, I was invited to a meal with a family. Apparently, there was a very small dog at the residence and he asked me if I liked dogs in Italian which is “Ti piache cane?” What I heard was “Ti piache carne”? I responded that I was not vegetarian. The horror and confusion on his face was amazing. Language mishaps are the greatest.

  • @mirror-images
    @mirror-images 8 місяців тому +137

    Fish not being considered meat goes back to rules the Catholic Church set up around Lent, when people were expected to refrain from eating meat. They could still have fish during the fasting period.

    • @moniabolletta8923
      @moniabolletta8923 8 місяців тому +25

      As they say, "the law was made, the deception was found": since it was forbidden to eat meat on the designated days, even aquatic birds and animals that lived near water such as beavers "magically" became fish (and therefore not prohibited...)

    • @1ACL
      @1ACL 8 місяців тому +11

      That rule flummoxed me as a child. I felt that since fish are living animals, they are meat. Also, it's weird to say you are atoning for sin, but still killing something. I think I was born a Buddhist.

    • @MottiShneor
      @MottiShneor 8 місяців тому +14

      Aha... you miss by about 2000 years :) The distinction used by the Catholic Church comes directly from the "Kosher" rules of Jewish "Halacha" (law). We have specific and distinct rules for what meat we can/can't eat, and for fish we're allowed/not-allowed to eat, and also on their method of killing the animal, and cooking it. Fish are not considered "meat" but rather a category of their own. I could elaborate here, but only if you want... Anyways Jesus (when alive) followed these distinction, and also his followers, who brought it into Christianity.

    • @1ACL
      @1ACL 8 місяців тому +1

      yes, I am aware of that, thank you. I was just saying what my feelings and thoughts were. @@MottiShneor

    • @QueenNemesis327
      @QueenNemesis327 8 місяців тому +6

      ​@@MottiShneorlike sins, religious people choose which ones are ok to commit, and in this case, which meat is ok to eat 😂😂

  • @mariom3203
    @mariom3203 8 місяців тому +26

    It always make me smile when I hear an Italian word that is almost the same as in our Polish language. In Italy you call it polpette and in Poland we call it pulpety. That same goes for tomatoes. You call them pomodoro and we call them pomidory :D

  • @mariadavola
    @mariadavola 8 місяців тому +47

    we sicilians make them too here are variations i've made polpete di zucchini, polpete di pane e polpete di riso all are pretty amazing im pretty sure they can be made with any vegetable maybe even mushrooms, sky is the limit

    • @MrThndrkiss75
      @MrThndrkiss75 8 місяців тому +2

      I was wondering if I could substitute pumpkin, squash, or something else edible for the eggplant. And hadn't thought of mushrooms... that sounds amazing.

    • @jpp7783
      @jpp7783 8 місяців тому +3

      @@MrThndrkiss75 I imagine mushrooms and pumpkin together (with sage) would be very good.

    • @fiddledeedeedah
      @fiddledeedeedah 8 місяців тому

      Thank you for this info because I'd like to try some with zucchini.

    • @domenico4808
      @domenico4808 8 місяців тому

      ​@@MrThndrkiss75e of course you can everything can be used for polpette 😊

  • @aris1956
    @aris1956 8 місяців тому +55

    Evidently in America they are called “meatballs” because perhaps there will only be those with meat. In Italy they are called “Polpette” to indicate something in general, given that there are various types and not just those with meat.

    • @aris1956
      @aris1956 8 місяців тому +13

      Then obviously you can specify based on what is used to make the Polpette. If they are made with meat, then they can be called “Polpette di Carne” (Polpette of meat). If they are made with something else, the name of the other ingredient is usually added. As for example we saw here in the video, “Polpette di Melanzane”, “Polpette di Ricotta/Formaggio”, “Polpette di Tonno” (aubergine polpette, cheese polpette, tuna polpette), etc.

    • @vajolet1
      @vajolet1 8 місяців тому +3

      You're right, in Italy this definition/distinction is used. As a vegetarian, however, I have to say it: fish are made of meat and blood, internal organs similar to all other animals considered ''meat''...even the octopus has three hearts! However, those who eat fish define themselves as 'pescatarian' (non-vegetarian) and therefore it's fine anyway🤗🐬🐟🐙💙💙💙💙💙

    • @francavan1295
      @francavan1295 8 місяців тому +1

      Anche crocchette! ✋

    • @guro4679
      @guro4679 8 місяців тому +3

      In Spanish we say albóndiga (ahl-BOHN-dee-gah) and it also doesn't mean a ball made with meat, it just mean food in ball shape, however, 98% of the time if someone offers you meatballs you assume they're the meat kind. You have to specify the kind in case they aren't meat ones, like "albóndiga de berenjena" (eggplant meatball).

    • @eclecticexplorer7828
      @eclecticexplorer7828 8 місяців тому +2

      Meatless versions are plentiful in the US. "Meatball" is a holdover from when they were not.

  • @susanb8354
    @susanb8354 8 місяців тому +34

    As a pescatarian/vegetarian I really loved your video today but I love ALL your videos. They are the best hearted and best spirited in the sense of good humor and really loving your subject and each other. They make me happy to watch.
    I’m not arguing with Eva about any kind of food. She has a special relationship with food as a thing of great importance and knows secrets about it. Maybe it’s an Italian thing. I have a sister-in-law who’s the best cook I ever knew and she was born in Italy.

  • @j9670
    @j9670 8 місяців тому +54

    Thank you for remembering us non-meat eaters! 🥰

    • @aris1956
      @aris1956 8 місяців тому +5

      There are various dishes in Italian cuisine that keep in mind those who do not eat meat. ;)

  • @luis4b1d
    @luis4b1d 8 місяців тому +16

    In Spanish we use the word "albóndiga" to define the dish has a shape (which is almost always a ball). On the other hand, at least in Latin America, we use the word "carne" (meat) primarily to define the tissue of raised animals (beef, pig, goat, etc.). We call chicken, fish or game directly that way. Obviously we recognize that a piece of chicken "has meat", we just like to use the word to address certain animals but it is very common for supermarkets to make a distinction: meat, chicken and fish.

  • @jimghee6021
    @jimghee6021 8 місяців тому +15

    My mother-in-law, whose family was from Calabria, used to make the eggplant polpetta but without the eggplant. She called them bread patties and made them every time she made anything breaded. She used the leftover breadcrumbs and eggs and added pecorino romano to make them. This was especially on Christmas Eve when there was a lot of breading going on. There was greater anticipation for the bread patties than there were for the fish.

    • @donscott6431
      @donscott6431 8 місяців тому +1

      In the Deep South when slaves breaded and fried food on the estates, they rolled the dough off their hands in balls and fried them. These they threw to the, hungry and barking, dogs, as they carried food to the main house from the cook house. They were called “hushpuppies”

    • @bumblebee898
      @bumblebee898 8 місяців тому +1

      In Catania (Sicily) we do these breadcrumbs, egg and cheese polpette, it is a good old grandma recipe. We call them "pisci d'ovu" and my 3 years old son love them!

    • @donscott6431
      @donscott6431 8 місяців тому

      @@bumblebee898 GOD bless you, my Lady, your children and theirs. Teach, carefully, love enthusiastically, and know KNOW that undoubtedly you are the BEST HUMAN ON EARTH. You’re 70% there, just don’t lay down the yoke it’ll get to be a daily pleasure and reason to persevere🫀🫁🫵💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾👩🏾‍🦱!🦐🦞🦀🐢🐈🕊️🦢

  • @nancywest1926
    @nancywest1926 8 місяців тому +42

    Köfte doesnt always have meat. You two are so fun to watch 😂

    • @BOSH220V
      @BOSH220V 8 місяців тому +4

      Does köfte mean ball in general or is it specifically a ball one eats? I am curious because, first I love etymology of words, and second - in my language we use the same word, but we took it directly from Turkish, and I don't know any other word for köfte in Bulgarian ( my language). Thanks!

    • @nancywest1926
      @nancywest1926 8 місяців тому

      @@BOSH220V That's a good question, I really don't know.

    • @gigibenea3529
      @gigibenea3529 8 місяців тому +1

      Chiftea or chiftelutze( small balls) ..in Romanian ...of course from the Turkish kafta....but you can prepare vegetarian .or cheese..

    • @nancywest1926
      @nancywest1926 8 місяців тому

      @@gigibenea3529 Thank you for your answer. I have made vegetarian "balls" but wasn't sure of köfte etymology. I only speak food 😃

    • @jmnindfw
      @jmnindfw 8 місяців тому +1

      I never knew that. I'll have to search out a recipe.

  • @riccardo4703
    @riccardo4703 8 місяців тому +6

    If you are eating the flesh of an animal - land, sea, or air - it's meat. Great video, I will try all of them!

  • @andrearigano9238
    @andrearigano9238 8 місяців тому +35

    between Italian and English, the definition of meat is different. In the English language meat is considered edible food of animal origin, while in Italian meat (carne) is understood as a warm-blooded animal, therefore all animals such as fish, insects and reptiles are excluded.

    • @ericray5914
      @ericray5914 8 місяців тому +11

      And this difference is further highlighted in Italy because of the rules around meat and fish during Lent.

    • @fredfromfrance6594
      @fredfromfrance6594 8 місяців тому +1

      Americans often refer to protein.

    • @jpp7783
      @jpp7783 8 місяців тому +3

      I think the distinction exists more broadly. Look at a cookbook’s table of contents: there are often separate sections for meat and poultry, or if they are combined, the section is titled “meat and poultry” (if meat included poultry, they’d just call the section “meat” and throw the poultry and seafood in there anyway without expanding the title).

    • @Tarrasque73
      @Tarrasque73 8 місяців тому +5

      In fact, in Italian "carne" does not even refer to edible or in any way butchered or prepared stuff. "Carne" means both meat and flesh.
      Our way of saying that goes "né carne, né pesce", (neither meat nor fish) corresponds to the English "neither fish nor flesh".

    • @thelauraby
      @thelauraby 8 місяців тому +1

      This doesn't quite make sense to me. Edible food (redundant?) of animal origin would include things like eggs, milk, and honey, but I've never heard these referred to as meat.

  • @seaslife60
    @seaslife60 8 місяців тому +13

    I *ADORE* eggplant polpette!! 😂 ❤ your music choices are a delight!!

  • @ehmzed
    @ehmzed 8 місяців тому +3

    As an Italian living in a mostly vegetarian family, we always eat store-bought vegetable balls and patties, fake meat balls and patties, falafels, or we make homemade chickpea falafels. They're great, but we should've thought of making some kind of homemade Italian veggieballs like these to switch it up, I'll definitely have to try the eggplant and the ricotta ones, they seemed delicious. Thanks for the video!
    I'd love to see more great Italian recipes that happen to be vegetarian. I know we're lucky to have a lot of them out there, but it's always nice to discover more regional ones that we might not know of.

  • @michellen2325
    @michellen2325 8 місяців тому +3

    I'm with Harper on that argument: all animal flesh is meat to me; it's animal protein.

  • @zzhingarazz4497
    @zzhingarazz4497 8 місяців тому +1

    I love to see Eva forgetting how to speak in english anytime she stays at home for a long period....it happens to me everytime i go home. Thank you for teaching our amazing cuisine abroad!

  • @lyqi101
    @lyqi101 8 місяців тому +15

    Eggplants are one of my favorite vegetables! I will definitely be making the first recipe!!

  • @videovedo36
    @videovedo36 8 місяців тому +16

    In Rome too we make polpette di melanzane in quite the same way! The tuna ones: it's more common to have that in the form of a polpettone which someone call salame di tonno. The ricotta ones I make with fresh white bread instead of breadcrumbs and either cook them and eat them in vegetable broth or sauté them in a pan with olive oil and sage. But they would be heavenly even in tomato sauce.
    Eva, il pesce è carne, ma lo dico da vegetariana: io sono fatto di carne, la mucca è fatta di carne, il tacchino è fatto di carne e il pesce (ma pure il calamaro o il gambero o la rana o oa cavalletta!) è fatto di carne. Nel piatto ci finisce la carne. Poi, possiamo dire che in italiano si usano due parole diverse per indicare dei "cibi" ma la sostanza a cui credo Harper si riferisse è che...se respirava e più o meno si muoveva è carne. Bisognerebbe dire magari "carne di", sarebbe più corretto 🤷🏻‍♀️.

  • @hika_ariel
    @hika_ariel 8 місяців тому +8

    The meat vs fish argument was so funny because I study philosophy of language and so, indulge me in being a nerd for a moment: you're using the word in two different ways, because of the ambivalency of it (probably because your your own first languagues). "Carne" (meat) is generally used by italian referencing to food, specifically to differenciate it from fish or vegetables (each has different properties and "abbinamenti"). The way Harper is using the word meat (in the english way), however, is has a completely different meaning, it also applies to fish or humans, i'd say it's closer to the connotation of "flesh". Basically he's using the term biologically, not "culinarly". In italian we'd never call fish meat "carne di pesce" because it sounds like a contradiction, like saying the apple meat, we'd probably say something like la polpa(?) del pesce, because we don't have a 1 to 1 corresponding word for flesh, altho sometimes in literature you might find expressions like "le sue carni" (his flesh) but it's not how we use the world normally, I hope this clarifies!! :)

  • @ramonclements9879
    @ramonclements9879 8 місяців тому +12

    It seems like you both challenge my notions of what an ingredient tastes like--so much so that despite HATING tuna fish (Chicken of the Sea and Starkist is what I grew up with), I want to try your version! What picture perfect specimens of 'meatballs' you create, and what a beautiful setting. Thanks for sharing Calabria with us, one meal at a time.

  • @rosamariascuteri6594
    @rosamariascuteri6594 8 місяців тому +11

    Complimenti per le ricette e la vostra simpatia 😊. Volevo solo dire che dalle mie parti(costa jonica-reggina), nelle"brasciole" di melanzane, al posto del prezzemolo, viene messo abbondante basilico; le melanzane tendenzialmente sono ortaggi estivi 😊...

  • @stephenmiller4948
    @stephenmiller4948 8 місяців тому +4

    I am always so entertained. I love Eva’s face when she takes a bite of something she loves! You guys are so adorable!

  • @KRob1111111
    @KRob1111111 8 місяців тому +6

    Fish isn't considered meat beacuse they're cold blooded. But if you define meat as flesh of any animal, then fish is obviously meat.
    If I had to pick one of the balls it would be the ricotta one.

  • @mariacasella6474
    @mariacasella6474 8 місяців тому +1

    My Mom was born and raised in Italy,came to America at age 19,they couldn’t afford meat so their meatballs were the bread crumb and cheese mixture same as we use to stuff our braciole at Christmas time

  • @TracyShead-Stamey
    @TracyShead-Stamey 8 місяців тому +13

    Here in West Virginia, USA we would call the eggplant one a fritter. They all look really good though.

    • @jpp7783
      @jpp7783 8 місяців тому

      I’ve always heard “fritter” to describe a dessert food (but otherwise similar to Eva’s polpette)-things like apple fritters. Do west Virginians have savoury fritters?

    • @TracyShead-Stamey
      @TracyShead-Stamey 8 місяців тому +3

      @jpp7783 Yes, we have corn fritters, zuccini, tomato, pretty much anything using cornmeal or bread crumbs with egg, then patties oushallow fried. We have sweet ones too.

    • @jpp7783
      @jpp7783 8 місяців тому +1

      @@TracyShead-Stamey thanks for the education! (And zucchini fritters sound great)

    • @TracyShead-Stamey
      @TracyShead-Stamey 8 місяців тому

      @jpp7783 You are welcome. They are really good. I make them every year and freeze a bunch, so I have them throughout winter.

    • @kirstymullan5020
      @kirstymullan5020 8 місяців тому +1

      @@jpp7783the origin of the word fritter comes from the word to fry, so basically anything coated in batter or crumbed then fried can be a fritter. We have spam fritters in the UK.

  • @David34981
    @David34981 8 місяців тому +1

    Apart from the food, two thumbs up for the use of jazz music in the background. Cheers, a jazz drummer and amateur cook in love with Italian food :)

  • @borealisnight1
    @borealisnight1 8 місяців тому +3

    This is perfect for me. I love veggies and now I have another way to fix them.

  • @AndreaFinetti69
    @AndreaFinetti69 8 місяців тому +1

    Guys, your content is just unique and so much enjoyable. You make a great couple, your videos are very well done, well edited, and reach in content. As an Italian guy, I can also confirm that Eva is bringing you 100% the spirit and recipes of Italian homes, sei bravissima, grazie!

  • @silverwind8863
    @silverwind8863 8 місяців тому +7

    To answer Eva! I'm from Naples and my grandma always made eggplant meatballs, with the exact same recipe she used! I don't think she had any calabrian influence in her recipes (she was the kind of woman that pretty much only cooked traditional neapolitan food) but she was literally an eggplant fiend so it's possible that she made an exception for that ahahah
    Anyway, I've had them since I was a child and many in my family still make them, but here you don't find eggplant meatballs easily in restaurants. Still a bit of a mystery, maybe!

  • @injunsun
    @injunsun 8 місяців тому +6

    @pastaGrammar, Thank you for doing this. While I love a lot of your content, I struggle with trying to make-over some things, because I am not Vegan. As a lacto-ovo vegetarian, life was easy; all I had to do was avoid gelatin and animal rennett. Unfortunately for vegetarians, none of what you made would be for them, much less Vegans, as you have told us, all Italian cheese makers use animal rennett, which comes from veal calf stomachs. Literally nothing you made here is technically vegetarian. However, if one used the GMO rennett cheeses of America and much of the rest of the world, two of the three would be vegetarian. Fish flesh is muscle, so just as what you pick out of nut shells at Christmas is called "nut meats," the flesh of the fish is its meat, which is not remotely vegetarian.
    To Veganise these:
    First, one can use JustEgg Vegan egg replacer.
    Second, one can use Caroline's Fishless Tuna, which is in a can. (I have never met anyone who has eaten tuna that was not canned, so I have no idea what you were talking about, people "complaining" about you using canned tuna.) Also, why does Eva not consider Chicken of the Sea a decent tuna? They don't make it taste like chicken! In fact, it is among the highest quality, according to people who eat tuna. The name was just its brand, to convince in-landers to eat more fish!
    Anyway, third, one can find various Vegan cheezes, but "buyer, beware." The best ones are the artisinal ones that cost a dozen times more than dairy cheeses, which you have to search for online, and buy without ever tasting them first. The supermarket ones are all starches and coconut oil, and have almost no flavour, and will NOT melt well, nor will they brown AT ALL, because the stupid companies refuse to add protein to them! And they aim them at the people they assume are the majority, those who want the blandest aromas and flavours, so no Sharp Cheddar, no intensely aromatic hard cheezes, or soft, stinky cheezes. I used to make an amazing 10 Cheese Lasagna! Now, I can't, and it makes me sad. I even sent you the recipe, as you two could make it and be blown away.
    I would not be able to join you on your tours, because I would have to live on bread, olive oil, and whatever steamed or roasted vegetables someone would pity me with. But at the cost I face, being benevolent to animals is worth it to me. They deserve life and happiness, more than I deserve their flavours for a few moments, then moving on. Obviously, one can't comment in detail without watching in appreciation,, and with respect, so I hope you appreciate the breadth of your audience. Ciao!

    • @VeretenoVids
      @VeretenoVids 8 місяців тому +1

      30 year vegetarian and occasional cheese maker here. You may know this, but just want to clarify not all vegetarian rennets are GMO based. Some are from various plants and others are microbial (e.g., Rhizomucor miehei). While the latter can be GMO and are used frequently by high volume cheese makers because of cost, it is possible to find good cheeses without it. If you care to delve into cheesemaking, you can get non-GMO rennet from New England Cheesemaking Supply, among other sources. It is a challenge to get a consistently nice hard cheese with a non-animal rennet, but it can be done. Of course, you can also make all kinds of soft cheeses (including ricotta!) that don't require rennet at all.

  • @roseconklin5392
    @roseconklin5392 8 місяців тому

    Thank you so much Eva and Harper! Absolutely love the Eggplant Polpette!

  • @growinglongisland
    @growinglongisland 8 місяців тому +1

    My Zia in Italy, Marsala Sicily, made tuna meat balls with fresh tuna the last time I was in Italy it was so amazing I still dream of them!

  • @justinfredrickson2180
    @justinfredrickson2180 8 місяців тому +3

    You guys are the best!!!!!! Have you ever tried roasting the eggplant instead of boiling? That way you will reduce the moisture and impart a little more dearth of flavor. Just a thought. If you do try it I would love to know what you think!!!

  • @seitanbeatsyourmeat666
    @seitanbeatsyourmeat666 8 місяців тому +2

    I love being vegan (not vegetarian!) in Italy… Italy’s famous cuisine was born from the “poor kitchen” so many, maaaany of their recipes are naturally vegan or vegetarian. It’s easy to eat here, I love it

  • @otto8049
    @otto8049 8 місяців тому +8

    I love this channel. I am not much of a meat eater for the sake of the animals and I am progressing on my journey to master Italian cooking. I grow 90% of my own food so I am always looking for a way to cook the bounty. Need I say more. You have the goods.

  • @vcorona1957
    @vcorona1957 8 місяців тому

    Can I just comment that your content is so very nice! Fun, educational and uplifting. It’s hard to find such a thing these days on social media. Keep up the good work. Bueno lavoro! (Hope that is correct!)❤

  • @donscott6431
    @donscott6431 8 місяців тому +1

    When I cooked at a German restaurant, we had two “balls”; one was cooked ham and frozen cheddar placed through a circular chopper, balled up and fried. The other was an oyster “roll” that was made with shucked oysters, homemade herbed “crackers” and milk. Deep fried: you mashed down to expose the inside and placed a pat of butte to melt. I HAVE seen people add our fresh ground horseradish

  • @lisam9233
    @lisam9233 8 місяців тому +3

    Eva cuts the garlic and parsley like a nonna! I love that 🔪👵🏼🥰

  • @annwilliams2075
    @annwilliams2075 8 місяців тому +3

    Agree with Eva re the word meatball. In the UK we have a Christmas treat that is call mincemeat pie, individual pies which do not have any meat in them. 😳😳😳Only dried fruit, candied peal, maybe nuts - lovely warm with brandy butter or cream. Yum!! Oh! You can add some brandy to the filling if liked. Double yum!!!😊😊😊😊

    • @crankiemanx8423
      @crankiemanx8423 8 місяців тому +1

      Same here in Australia... delicious

    • @rachcampb
      @rachcampb 8 місяців тому +3

      Historically it had meat in it, but over time it got less meat and more fruit till how it is now, all fruit. The supermarkets are full of mince pies already in the UK. Haven't had any yet, but they're delicious warm with thick cream 🤤

    • @annwilliams2075
      @annwilliams2075 8 місяців тому

      @@rachcampb yes that is where they get their name from - I think they are more delicious now than in the past. 😊😊😊😊 . My local Coop had them on the shelves before the children went back to school. Oh the temptation! 😱😱😱 I actually have all the ingredients to make them but am trying to wait until closer to Christmas. Always say I will make and freeze them in readiness but they are so lovely fresh out of the oven the freezing part never quite goes to plan. 🙄🙄🙄😂😂😂

    • @yorgokarna6801
      @yorgokarna6801 8 місяців тому

      Traditionally it did have meat in it, usually beef or venison, hence the name. Even good modern ones still have beef suet in them.

    • @annwilliams2075
      @annwilliams2075 8 місяців тому

      @@yorgokarna6801 I nearly came a cropper over the beef suet when taking mince pies and Christmas puddings to friends in USA. Fortunately I checked on line what was or was not permitted in baked goods. It said that vegetarian suet was ok but not beef. So gift idea was saved. 😊😊😊😊

  • @brendaaymond9751
    @brendaaymond9751 7 місяців тому

    OMG you had me at eggplant. I grow my own so always fresh. I will definitely try this recipe. Thanks for sharing. I love watching your videos.

  • @atikovi1
    @atikovi1 8 місяців тому +10

    Go to most any Indian restaurant and order the cabbage kofta. You won't miss the meat one bit.

  • @lightwork11
    @lightwork11 8 місяців тому +8

    I never miss an episode of your show, though I'm a vegan. Polpette and veggie burgers are made from beans, lentils, vegetables, and breadcrumbs. They have a Sicilian kick since that is my lineage. An eggplant pattie and meatballs are in the works here after this episode!!

  • @marionappelbaum950
    @marionappelbaum950 8 місяців тому

    Me and my bestest other half are planning to go to Puglia from Jan to June. Hope our planning works out. Love your vlogs and have tried your, (well, Eva's) recipes. I have her tiramisu etched in my brain and make it regularly and it's always a hit. Well, best get back to my Italian lessons! Keep well. X

  • @Shinybadguy
    @Shinybadguy 8 місяців тому +2

    You guys have me practicing my meatball recipe at least once a week ♥

  • @luannedimaggio7025
    @luannedimaggio7025 8 місяців тому

    My husband makes egg patties. He is Italian, made with bread crumbs, egg, Romano. He soaks in sauce. Lovely

  • @carolvan664
    @carolvan664 8 місяців тому +3

    ❤❤❤ Make rules to have exception! Love watching you cook!

  • @janeparrett8601
    @janeparrett8601 8 місяців тому +3

    Fish is the meat of the fish which is an animal or whatever seafood in question, so yes Harper, I agree, fish is meat. Both cows and tuna are living breathing animals. Plants are plants, meat is meat. One woman's opinion of course. Anyway, I have made eggplant polpetta (is that correct?) and love it. You inspire me to make it again. Thanks for the recipe.

  • @michaelmcnally1242
    @michaelmcnally1242 8 місяців тому +2

    I have probably mentioned this in a previous meatball video comment, but if you can find an aluminum "cake ball" pan (from back when the "cake ball" fad still had steam), it works great for pre-cooking eggy meatballs without flattening one side. You can bake/roast at high heat to get some oven browning on actual meaty meatballs, or you can go at a low temperature to get the eggs to set without adding color. Then you can transfer to a pan for browning or simmering.

  • @bradzimmer239
    @bradzimmer239 8 місяців тому

    Love the channel. Looks like Eva was hitting the wine on the opening skit.

  • @PhoenixBeI
    @PhoenixBeI 8 місяців тому +1

    Like in Italian, the word for meatball in Spanish is albóndiga, as in the word "meat" is not included in the word. In both cases, the name refers to the shape rather than the ingredients. The word meatball means a type of ball, which happens to be made of meat, but it doesn't have to be. 😊

  • @DJMarcO138
    @DJMarcO138 8 місяців тому

    Sunday hasn't started till I have watched Pasta Grammar. Ciao Eva! Ciao Harper!

    • @DJMarcO138
      @DJMarcO138 8 місяців тому

      Also - maybe they should be called "breadballs" since they all require bread! xD

  • @asa3409
    @asa3409 8 місяців тому +1

    We really need that cookbook!!

  • @aandreya
    @aandreya 8 місяців тому +1

    Funny. When we say polpet, it is self-explanatory. It means veggi mush put in a ball or flattened ball form.

  • @pozzowon
    @pozzowon 8 місяців тому

    2:54 MEGA PRO TIP!!!! Indian and South Asian stores is where you'll find a ton of eggplant varieties. Man Pasand in Texas (surely there's more) has between 4 and 6 types, depending on the season

  • @nancymiller349
    @nancymiller349 8 місяців тому +3

    I was expecting the ricotta balls to fall apart in the liquid. It's interesting that they didn't. I'm considering trying them but deep-frying instead. I'll try it both ways. I am so much eggplant for my garden and that I didn't know what to do with so I'm definitely making those. I'm somewhat iffy on the tuna ones.🤔

  • @Daniela-xu6kv
    @Daniela-xu6kv 6 місяців тому

    Great video! Loved to get your recipe on all of them! ❤ ….But what about polpette di riso ?😮

  • @lawrencerobbins9286
    @lawrencerobbins9286 8 місяців тому +1

    Fish is fish. Ask any pescatarian. Loved this episode as I do all of your episodes. Love watching Eva's face as she appreciates good food.

  • @mhermarckarakouzian8899
    @mhermarckarakouzian8899 8 місяців тому +8

    Never had Italian eggplants, but I recently moved to the US from Canada and got eggplants from Trader Joes and they were the most tasteless eggplants I’ve ever had and it was like 80% seeds (I was practically crunching on seeds while eating the dish I made, it was so absurd.) I immediately thought of Eva’s comments from a previous eggplant video. I think this is just an American thing ‘cause I’ve never once had this problem in Canada. But I do eat eggplants a lot so I found a place here that has good ones (my local Middle Eastern store 😜).

    • @MottiShneor
      @MottiShneor 8 місяців тому +8

      Eggplants cannot be ordered. You should select them manually. a "rule of thumb" for choosing eggplants (it's true for most variants of eggplants). The most important thing: The eggplant must be light. It should weigh like nothing. Like you raise a foam of some kind. When eggplant ripens - it grows the seeds which make it heavy, and also brings in more water into its flesh. These waters are also bitter, in addition to the seeds being nasty to eat, and almost impossible to remove.
      So - select lighest eggplants you can. Of course a small eggplant is lighter than a big one - but that's not what I mean. Compare similarly sized eggplants for weight - choose the lighter.
      Next, the skin. Choose those who are young - they have shinier skin, without wrinkles, and hard to touch. If the eggplant is soft, or has wrinkles, or loses its shine - it is old, and more bitter. Also - the color. There are different kinds of eggplants with different colors, and also the time they're picked also stops the development of their colors. Try to choose "purplish" or "grayish" rather than "deep black" ones.
      That's all I can say without knowing the American variety of eggplants - but it can help.

  • @jasonp2906
    @jasonp2906 8 місяців тому +11

    So judging by what Eva said about Italian rules have an exception, pineapple on pizza it is! LOL Love the video guys! I just wish parmegianno and pecorino are not so expensive!

  • @roccosisto8196
    @roccosisto8196 8 місяців тому +1

    Oh man. Mouth watering. Thanks

  • @carolbell2786
    @carolbell2786 8 місяців тому +1

    I make eggplant meatballs but I don't flatten and bread and they always come out mushy and undercooked. So thank you Eva! Now I know what to do!!

  • @jeannamcgregor9967
    @jeannamcgregor9967 8 місяців тому

    Like Nona Gina says on her channel about cheese, "The more you put, the more you find. Some people want more, you put more". Thank you for these recipes! I have beautiful Rosa Bianca eggplant from the garden right now.

  • @thelauraby
    @thelauraby 8 місяців тому

    Thanks to this channel, I get closer and closer to making a project of overcoming my resistance to eating eggplant.

  • @brunogattolin9782
    @brunogattolin9782 8 місяців тому +1

    in my family we make eggplant veggieballs and we are not calabrian so you can find them in other parts of italy, but we make a little variation: we put a little cube of cheese inside so the ball will have a melty heart

  • @cinnamonbeardstud
    @cinnamonbeardstud 8 місяців тому +4

    I'm noticing lately there are some split seconds while Eva talks where she absolutely has the cadence of a native English speaker, and it's so surprising because it's just gently and seamlessly peppered in now occasionally, like seasoning! I hope Harper has been perfecting his Italian in Dasà, too. Infatti, he should try doing an all Italian language video as a little challenge to check his progress. 😊

    • @trevorcook3129
      @trevorcook3129 8 місяців тому

      Native English speaker? American maybe but definitely not native English. Sorry

    • @cosettapessa6417
      @cosettapessa6417 8 місяців тому

      @@trevorcook3129don’t be pedantic. Obviously he meant american english

    • @trevorcook3129
      @trevorcook3129 8 місяців тому

      @@cosettapessa6417 which isn’t native English is it

    • @cosettapessa6417
      @cosettapessa6417 8 місяців тому

      @@trevorcook3129 they're both english

  • @pohanahawaii
    @pohanahawaii 8 місяців тому

    🌱🍆🍅 Molte grazie for the eggplant polpette recipe, Eva!

  • @Cr4z33_YT
    @Cr4z33_YT 8 місяців тому

    We have an outsider here in Salento: horse meatballs!
    With garlic, pecorino cheese, parsley and grated bread... 😙👌🏼

  • @chrisstef8004
    @chrisstef8004 8 місяців тому

    I love any sort of balls... delicious with a glass of wine...yummy..
    Great job..👏👏👏👏👏

  • @mamadotscreations
    @mamadotscreations 8 місяців тому

    I have never cooked Eggplant, but you make me want to try it!!!

  • @ruthlaird837
    @ruthlaird837 8 місяців тому

    I love the looks of these recipes as a pescatarian myself. I thought I would omit the anchovies but after Harper's comment, maybe I won't. Thanks, guys.

  • @JorgelinaVega
    @JorgelinaVega 8 місяців тому +1

    I think any flesh from an animal is “meat” but in usage, pork is pork, fish is fish, chicken is chicken and meat is beef, works the same in Spanish, carne is only use for “red meats”, beef.

  • @missoldskool
    @missoldskool 8 місяців тому

    For me one of your best shows. 🎉

  • @neme7827
    @neme7827 8 місяців тому

    In Spanish we use the word "albóndiga" which comes from a 15th century Arabic word "albunduqah" that was related to an ancient Greek expression and referred to a hazelnut. (Google translate)

  • @Jean2235177
    @Jean2235177 8 місяців тому +1

    Oh my… these sound wonderful! The tuna polpette would be great for fish Friday’s Lenten meatless meals. I’m interested in trying the eggplant polpette. I love eggplant. The cheese ones I know I’ll love, as they are cheese, and cheese is king. Yum! Fish not being “meat” is from a Roman Catholic perspective.

  • @donnaclinton5578
    @donnaclinton5578 8 місяців тому

    My mom made the tuna (fish) meatballs quite often, so good. They all look good!

  • @susansylvester316
    @susansylvester316 8 місяців тому

    Love them all. Theyre worth trying

  • @giraffesinc.2193
    @giraffesinc.2193 8 місяців тому

    Darling Eva, I have been a vegetarian (no fish or meat) for decades! Thank you for this lovely video! (Side note ... fish is meat, sorry, Eva)!

  • @debbybrady1246
    @debbybrady1246 8 місяців тому +1

    Perfect video for me, a vegetarian. Thanks.

  • @tompitta3283
    @tompitta3283 8 місяців тому

    I will defiantly try these

  • @susa3672
    @susa3672 8 місяців тому

    So delicious! Thank you ! What is the Italian eating with it? bread or noodles ? 🙋🥰

  • @davidshelten3151
    @davidshelten3151 8 місяців тому +4

    Finally 💚💚💚💚 I was always hoping to see more vegetarian/vegan recipies. Please cook more vegetarian plates. Maybe you could cook one meat and one vegetarian per episode? 🥰🥰🥰🥰 just to be fair. 🌱🌱🌱🌱😘😘😘😘

  • @giuseppesmirne5578
    @giuseppesmirne5578 8 місяців тому

    Love all your videos, siete simpaticissimi.
    What I would say is polpette is a preparation, that’s why Eva doesn’t associate them to meat. The correct translation for meatballs would be polpette di carne. So you have polpette of … several different ingredients. In my Calabrian family we make so many different varieties that most time we specify which we are going to serve.
    It is true however that if you don’t specify most people will assume the ones made of meat.
    By the way from your video I’d agree with Eva. They all look amazing but if forced to chose I’d pick eggplant polpette every time 😊

  • @stefanob.6551
    @stefanob.6551 8 місяців тому +4

    Hey! Complimenti per il video!
    Avevo voglia di specificare che le polpette di melanzane si fanno anche in Salento, con la menta!
    Io le melanzane preferisco sempre farle al forno, mia personale opinione, nell'acqua secondo me si disperde sempre un po' il sapore, e rende necessaria una maggiore quantità di pangrattato!
    Siete i migliori e vi seguo sempre! ❤

    • @lucabaroni7715
      @lucabaroni7715 8 місяців тому

      Anche mia suocera che è di Palermo fa le polpette di melanzane con la menta.

  • @andreadrmgiuliano2827
    @andreadrmgiuliano2827 8 місяців тому +1

    E' tutto esattamente identico alla mia polpettlife da 52 anni a questa parte! (ricette tramandate da papà siciliano e mamma sarda). Bravissimi! ♥

  • @RUTC01
    @RUTC01 8 місяців тому

    They are all so delicious; it’s like picking one’s favorite child. One of my favorite meatballs is with minced pork in bianco, at room temperature. Just grab one and pop in the mouth. It is a standard for Carnevale. Thank you.

  • @gezkovich
    @gezkovich 8 місяців тому +1

    We walk into a pasture we see a cow. We swim into the ocean a fish. We look at our plate we see meat. My daughter referred to all animal proteins as turkey. According to her fish was turkey.

  • @hiddentruth1982
    @hiddentruth1982 8 місяців тому

    Okay I would be willing to try the first and 3rd ones for sure. I would say the 3rd ones would be amazing.

  • @salcos
    @salcos 8 місяців тому +2

    I loved this video. The eggplant patty appeals to me out of all the 3 meatball recipes. Are the tuna meatballs very fishy? Is Progresso considered to be a quality tuna? Very hard to find quality tuna in the supermarkets in Georgia.

  • @MoonRiverTravels
    @MoonRiverTravels 8 місяців тому

    Anybody else notice what Harper actually did... a challenge with one clear winner: Harper! So many delicious polpette to compare. Well played, well played indeed! 😂

  • @barneylaurance1865
    @barneylaurance1865 8 місяців тому

    In English "meat" used to mean food, especially solid food as opposed to drink. It's still used that way in phrases like "one man's meat is another man's poison".

  • @sloopy5191
    @sloopy5191 8 місяців тому

    I will be making all 3 of these recipes, the first one will be the tuna polpette for dinner this evening! Thanks for sharing such thoroughly explained recipes Ava...love watching you two together. A perfect match! Also...can you please share the name of the soundtrack you used today? It made me happier than the recipes! 😁 I SO appreciate the music your site uses. Harper! Fish don't walk on land, and cows and pigs don't breathe under water...fish is fish...NOT meat!! Ava. Wins!! 😂😂

  • @christinap43
    @christinap43 7 місяців тому

    I mean Americans call anything fish in a patty a cake… like crab cake shrimp cake fish cake especially if it’s grounded up. Preparation and how’s it’s cook determines what it’s called… but I feel like anything you roll into a ball that isn’t deep fried but seared and then stewed in a sauce is a”meatball” Eva is a goddess. Harper you turn to cook!

  • @esther.f.g
    @esther.f.g 8 місяців тому

    I will pick the tuna, this recipe is a must try to change from the traditional meat ball, thank you for sharing

  • @tangoangel2782
    @tangoangel2782 8 місяців тому +1

    Being vegetarian myself, thank you!!

  • @laurakenney100
    @laurakenney100 8 місяців тому

    I definitely will try to make the eggplant ones gluten free and also the ricotta ones! Thanks for some new recipes to try.😊

  • @petrafiedler202
    @petrafiedler202 8 місяців тому +1

    I tryed the one with eggplants today. I had to take an other cheese. My family liked it, but not so much as my special meatballs. And I agree Eva: you need good ingredients to make a good food.

  • @megcasey9902
    @megcasey9902 8 місяців тому

    I would love to see some recipes for crespelle please! Sweet and savory. Thanks.

  • @allbackiceland
    @allbackiceland 8 місяців тому +1

    The meat/fish thing is religious. The Catholics and Orthodox make a strong distinction between them for the purposes of fasting. (The collective consumption of "meat" was often associated with pagan rituals. Fish tended to free of that stigma.) When England was officially Catholic the difference would have seemed more obvious, but it's much less so today, with even Catholics placing less of an emphasis on fasting.

  • @jodieholley627
    @jodieholley627 8 місяців тому

    @PastaGrammar - Can you ask Eva if coating the ricotta meatball in breadcrumbs and frying is a thing? I am planning to make them and thought about serving them both ways.
    Also can you ask her if they ever get served with sauce?
    Thank you for all of the delicious recipes. Made your Carbonara last week and it was a hit for my dad’s birthday. 🎉❤