Mondeghili are traditional Milanese meatballs that originated as a way to make use of cooked meat, particularly beef left over from bollito, the Italian tradition of simmering different cuts of meat until tender.
The beef is minced with bread softened in milk and liver mortadella, then combined with egg, Parmigiano Reggiano, parsley, lemon zest, and nutmeg. The mixture is shaped into small, slightly flattened meatballs and coated with breadcrumbs.
The mondeghili are then pan-fried in clarified butter until golden on the outside while remaining soft in the center.
This is a recipe deeply rooted in Milanese home cooking, where leftover cooked meat was transformed into a new dish using simple ingredients and a straightforward technique.
Mondeghili are traditional Milanese meatballs made with boiled beef, bread, liver mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano, and aromatic seasonings. Slightly flattened, coated with breadcrumbs, and pan-fried in clarified butter, they develop a golden exterior while remaining soft inside. A classic example of Milanese home cooking and the Italian tradition of making the most of leftover ingredients.
Fill a large pot with plenty of water and season it lightly with salt. Add the roughly chopped carrot and celery, a few black peppercorns, and the whole onion studded with the 3 cloves.
Bring the water to a boil, add the beef, and reduce the heat. Simmer gently for about 1 hour, skimming off any foam and impurities that rise to the surface.
When the beef is tender, remove it from the cooking liquid and let it cool slightly. Trim away any large pieces of excess fat, then roughly shred or chop the meat.
Place the stale bread in a bowl, pour over the milk, and let it soften for a few minutes. Gently squeeze out any excess liquid.
Cut the liver mortadella into pieces and combine it with the cooked beef and softened bread.
Pass everything through a meat grinder until evenly combined. The mixture should be uniform but does not need to be ground into a completely smooth paste.
Transfer the ground mixture to a bowl. Add the egg, finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, chopped parsley, lemon zest, and a little freshly grated nutmeg.
Season with salt and black pepper, then mix briefly with your hands until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Take about 35 g of the mixture at a time and shape it into a slightly elongated meatball. Gently flatten it to give the mondeghili their characteristic shape.
You should get approximately 18 mondeghili from this mixture.
Coat each one evenly with breadcrumbs, making sure the breading adheres well over the entire surface.
Heat some of the clarified butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, arrange the mondeghili in the pan without overlapping or overcrowding them.
Cook them in batches if necessary for approximately 1–2 minutes per side, turning them carefully once the underside is evenly golden.
Add more clarified butter between batches as needed. The mondeghili should be golden on the outside and soft in the center.
Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to remove any excess fat.
Serve the mondeghili hot, straight from the pan, while the breadcrumb coating is still lightly crisp and the center is soft.
They can be served as an appetizer or as a main course, depending on the portion size and the rest of the meal.
Servings 18
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Cooked mondeghili can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2–3 days. Reheat them thoroughly until hot in the center before serving.
You can also freeze cooked mondeghili. Let them cool completely, place them in a freezer-safe container, separating the layers with parchment paper if necessary, and freeze. For best results, thaw them slowly in the refrigerator before reheating.
Liver mortadella is a traditional ingredient in mondeghili, but it can be difficult to find outside Lombardy and especially outside Italy.
You can replace it with the same amount of Mortadella Bologna or luganega, a traditional fresh sausage from Lombardy.
Mortadella Bologna produces a milder flavor, while luganega gives the mixture a richer, more savory character. Either substitution will produce a slightly different flavor from mondeghili made with traditional liver mortadella.
Mondeghili are pan-fried in clarified butter, which handles the temperatures needed to brown the breadcrumb coating well.
The 250 g listed in the ingredients is the total amount available for cooking and does not need to be added to the pan all at once. Use some for each batch and add more as needed.