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Polpettine verdi

Picture is coming soon How it should look like - Now do it better!

If you're looking for a nice creative way to eat broccoli, this recipe is for you - and it's DELICIOUS! These "meatballs" are a simple mix of tofu, broccoli and a few other ingredients, so they have all the good stuff you'd want from a meal: packed with good nutrients and protein, they have become one of my favourite dishes to cook and I have broccoli in the fridge. You've got to try it!

Ingredients (2 people)#

For the non-meatballs:

  • Broccoli: 200 gr, cleaned and cut into florets
  • Tofu: 250-300 gr, plain (not flavoured or smoked tofu)
  • Olives: 3 tbsp
  • Artichokes in oil (optional): 2 tbsp, chopped
  • Shallot: half
  • Extra virgin olive oil: to taste
  • Salt: to taste
  • Oat: 60 gr

For the cashew sauce:

  • Cashews: 80 gr, pre-soaked in boiling water for at least 10 minutes
  • Unsweetened plant soya milk: 120 ml
  • Lemon juice: 2 tsp
  • Garlic powder: optional, only if you like it
  • Mustard: 1 tsp
  • Vinegar: 1 tsp
  • Salt and fresh thyme: a pinch

Method#

  1. Cook the broccoli first: get rid of the hardest part of the stem, and boil everything else. It will take around 10-15 mins from when the water is boiling
  2. In the meantime, sauté the shallot for 5-10 minutes. Once tender, add the tofu (crumbled apart), the olives, and the artichokes if you have them too. Leave it to cook until fragrant
  3. Whilst this happens, if you want to make the sauce later, I suggest warming up some water and immerse the cashews in it, so they start to soften
  4. Prepare the oat: grind the oats in a food processor until they turn into something close to oat flour. This will stop you ending up with little bits of oat once you add it to the rest of the mixture
  5. Once the broccoli are also ready, put everything together in a food processor (excluding the oats), add salt to taste, and mix well until creating a soft mixture.
  6. Then transfer the content into a big bowl, add the oats and mix all together manually. You could also add the broccoli to the pan with the tofu and the rest of the ingredients, and use a hand blender to mash it all; and then transfer the content into a bowl to add the oats.
  7. Now wet your hands and shape the mixture into small "meatballs". Wetting your hands (or lightly oiling them) keeps a sticky batter like this one from clinging to your fingers while you shape the patties. I usually prefer to use oil here instead of water on my hands
  8. Place the "meatballs" on an over tray with baking paper. Cook them in the oven on fan at 180°C for 15 minutes
  9. While the cook, prepare the cashew sauce. This sauce is incredible and it goes so well with these "meatballs", I highly recommend it
  10. The cashew should be soft and tender by now, so drain them from the water and put them in a powerful blender, with all the other ingredients except for the thyme. Blend until you get a smooth thick sauce
  11. Transfer the sauce into a bowl, add thyme and salt if needed

Ready to eat!

Tips#

No tips here, just enjoy it! These this sauce is SO indulgent, I love it!!