Polpettone alla Ligure

In his 1997 cookbook on Ligurian food, “Recipes From Paradise: Life and Food on the Italian Riviera,” author Fred Plotkin wrote, “The gift of warm weather, sea, air, and mountains that shelter the region from northern cold has created a little paradise where flowers and herbs blossom in astonishing and fragrant profusion and variety, while delicate vegetables, succulent fruits, and outstanding wild mushrooms abound.”

Plotkin is right; Liguria, the slender, rugged crescent of a region that fans out along Italy’s northern Mediterranean coast, is a garden. Tender herbs, leafy greens, and seasonal vegetables find their way into all sorts of dishes. Often they are cooked plainly and served with a swish of good Ligurian olive oil made from the region’s famous tiny Taggiasca olives. But greens and vegetables are also the main ingredient in soups, stuffed pastas, and herb-spiked savory pies, as well as a wonderfully rustic dish known as polpettone.

In most of Italy, polpettone means meatloaf, from the word ‘polpa,’ meaning ‘flesh’ or ‘pulp.’ But the word can also mean ‘mishmash,’ and in Liguria, polpettone is a baked mishmash of vegetables—artichokes, green beans, or zucchini—usually combined with potatoes, eggs, cheese, and herbs. All over Genoa and in towns along Liguria’s coast and countryside, you will find osterie and food shops that sell large, shallow pans of already-baked polpettoni. The pans are lined up in the shops’ display windows, the tops of the polpettoni decoratively scored with the tines of a fork and beautifully browned from being cooked in a wood-fired oven. It makes for an enticing sight, and one that you shouldn’t pass up if you visit the region. You can buy a slice of polpettone as a snack, for lunch, or to take on a hike or picnic. It’s definitely casual food.

Even if you don’t have a trip to Liguria planned in the near future, you can still enjoy polpettone—it is easy to make at home. There are many variations, and the one combining green beans and mashed potatoes is among the most popular. However, you should feel confident in switching out the beans for something else if you like—artichokes, Swiss chard, zucchini and so on. for example. Just use the same quantity (measured by weight).

POLPETTONE ALLA LIGURE
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
1 pound yellow potatoes
Fine sea salt
1 pound tender green beans
1 small yellow onion
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram
Freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons butter
3 to 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Instructions
1. Put the potatoes in a pot with cold water to cover by 2 inches and salt generously. Cover and Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat slightly to prevent sputtering and boil until the potatoes are very tender and can be easily pierced with a cake tester, about 30 minutes. Drain and let them cool until you can hold them without burning your fingers. Peel them and rice them into a bowl.

2. Snap the stem end off the beans. Arrange them in a steam basket set in a pot of water, making sure the water does not reach the bottom of the basket. Cover and place on medium-high heat. Cook until the beans are tender and have lost their bright green color, about 10 minutes. Let them cool briefly, then cut them crosswise into small pieces.

3. Heat the oven to 350F.

4. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Put them in a skillet with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Cook on medium-low until they are soft and translucent. Sprinkle in the marjoram, then add the beans, tossing them to coat them with the oil. Season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for a minute or two to mingle the flavors. Scrape the bean mixture into the bowl with the riced potatoes. Season with a few grindings of pepper and a pinch more salt, then add the eggs and Parmigiano cheese. Fold everything together with a spatula until thoroughly combined.

5. Lightly coat an oven-proof baking dish (I've used a 9x9-inch and an 8x11-inch) with a little of the butter. Sprinkle the bottom and sides with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs to form a thin coating. Dollop the bean and potato filling into the dish and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the rest of the breadcrumbs on top. Drag the tines of a dinner fork in diagonal rows through the surface of the polpettone to form a diamond pattern. Dot the top with the remaining butter.

6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until well browned on top and you can hear it bubbling throughout. Let it sit for a few minutes before cutting into squares. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.