Sicilian Lemon Leaf Meatballs

susie

Sun, 4 Dec 2011 18:42:00 GMT

I just returned from a visit to Italy and had this dish in a restaurant in Taormina. I regret that I don"t remember the name of the place, but I do remember the meatballs! I live in California and am fortunate to have a lovely lemon tree in my yard, so I tried to make them last night. The recipe I was using said to use bread soaked in milk instead of bread crumbs and to cook them "gently" on a grill. It was fairly easy to tell when they were done. They were quite yummy. In Taormina they were served on pasta and what I can"t remember is what kind of sauce was on it. I made a basic tomato gravy, and while it was good enough, it wasn"t the same. I wish I knew the name of the restaurant! I could at least look it up online and possibly read the desription on the menu. My daughter thinks it was just an olive oil type of thing. Darn, just can"t remember!

Paul Jerome

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:22:18 GMT

I have been trying to reach the www.cucinadelsole.it web page to no avail. I have attempted to use both Firefox as well as IExplorer with the same results..the site is "read" and then the blank page is "done".
Could you suggest a reason why or a way around it. I do get to other (dot).it web sites. Cold her site be blocked ?

sandy

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 05:24:15 GMT

I have inherited a lime tree in a pot. I have no idea what type of lime tree it is. Can I use the leaves in my recipe?

fx

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:56:00 GMT

Which restaurant do you like in Taormina? I was not able to find one I really liked, but there must be fine places in such a gorgeous resort! For the lemon leaves unless you can be 150% certain that no pesticide were used, I would not do this in Paris, or you"ll ingest half the periodic table of the elements in one polpette. I don"t remember the cooking time but you could remove them from the oven every 10 minutes to taste for doneness. The almond granita is to die for - make sure you serve it in a Parisian brioche!

Rose-Marie de Paris

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:38:43 GMT

Dear FX,
I actually ordered these polpette in a restaurant in Taormina last September and they were quite delicious. (And, yes, guys, very Sicilian... Sicily is famous for its wonderful citrus fruit.) I"d like to make this dish for a dinner party I"m giving next week. I"ll try to bribe my neighborhood "primeur" for some lemon leaves... But can you PLEASE give me some vague guidance on cooking time and temperture!
Since veal is fairly delicate, I"m guessing maybe 180�C in my convection (chaleur tournant) oven. But for the cooking time, I"m a little lost... 15 minutes? 30 minutes?? I"d certainly hate to overcook these delicate little bundles!
With many thanks...
P.S. I"m thinking that I"ll finish this springtime Italian meal with your almond granita, which I"ve made on several occassions � to rave reviews � and truly adore!)

fx

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:12:39 GMT

Joseph, the lemon leaves are not so edible in my opinion, very tough and bitter.

HazelStone

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:50:00 GMT

Word to the wise, "kaffir" is a very serious racial slur in some parts of the world. So those who wish to be completely circumspect do not call lime leaves from SE Asia "kaffir" limes. A better substitute is "Asian Lime."

Just thought you"d want to know. I was shocked when I found out recently.

Joseph Weir

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 11:47:08 GMT

One question: are the lemon leaves edible? I should think they would be rather tough.

fx

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 14:52:26 GMT

Paul, lemon trees grow fine in England provided you can keep them frost-free and sunlit during the winter. An orangerie is what you need!

fx

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 14:11:33 GMT

Stefan, you are very civic-sensed, it would sound like a fun project to poach some lemon leaves from the botanical garden for a proper sicilian dish! You can often find some leaves on supermarket lemons.

fx

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 13:52:59 GMT

Alex, Sicilian recipes are some of the most culturally diverse in Europe, and there might be a far eastern influence here. Or just some mama who noticed that lemon tree leaves smelled nice and decided to use them!

fx

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 13:51:11 GMT

Cookery, Mrs Consoli explained me extensively that in Italian cookery cooking times, quantities and temperatures are usually left rather imprecise. When her book was translated into Japanese, the Japanese publisher pressured her for precise quantities for things like a a bunch of parsley, and it ended up with half a pound parsley instead of a couple twigs.

Paul McKenna

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 06:00:19 GMT

Coincidence or synchronicity ? I saw an advert for a dwarf lemon tree that grows in a pot and is hardy enough for English weather at least.
�49.95

Paul

Paul Mckenna

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 22:54:47 GMT

This is an opportunity for an entrepreneur to sell lemon leaves which we rehydrate and then use as above.

Paul

Fred

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 13:53:53 GMT

Since the lime leaf is bitter, it makes sense not to eat it. The fragrant is a different matter though.
like AlexFalk noted, we Vietnamese have a similar dish but a different leaf is wrapped around ground pork in a spring-roll manner then deep fried. Delicious but not for the diet conscious.
I think it should be easy to find lime leaves in China towns or Southeast Asian markets because they are quite a cooking staple.

Stefan

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 16:13:35 GMT

What a nice dish. I would love to cook it, but the only lemon tree in my neighbourhood is the one in the botanical garden and I wouldn"t dare to steal leaves there since if every Italian food lover in town would steal a single one the tree would die soon.

AlexFalk

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:34:25 GMT

This looks delicious. It somehow seems less Italian and more Indian, or Southeast Asian.
I know that Vietnamese and Thai food often contains Kaffir Lime leaves.
If I can find a lemon tree that would be willing to donate a dozen or so leaves, I may be having this for dinner tomorrow night.

cookery

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:24:46 GMT

FX, you know I love you, but you are notorious for omitting cooking times and temperatures when it comes to using the oven.........

fx

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:29:45 GMT

Shreela, yes you are not really meant to eat the leaves, they are used mostly for flavoring, for keeping the meat moist and for kicks than for eating.

Shreela

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:01:20 GMT

So are the lemon leaves removed before eating them, or are they kept on the meatballs?