Minestrone, dumplings, stir-fries…every kitchen has a method to elevate leftovers, and this is the Milanese way to chop up and repurpose the ubiquitous odd bit of stale bread and meat from the roast. Sustainability is the name of the game! Even though Maria literally lives right in the middle of Sondrio's city centre, there are no convenience stores or food delivery options.
Mondeghini goes well with the aforementioned tonnato sauce, and can be served either as an antipasto (entrée) or secondo (main). When Alberto was a child, Maria would cook him one for each number of years as he got older, like beans at Setsubun Festival in Japan.
Polpette (meatballs, although they don't necessarily need to contain meat) are found all over Italy– small ones tossed with spaghetti in Abruzzo, or spiked with almonds in Sicily, crusty golden bread in Basilicata, and herbs in Lazio. My favourite combinations include a pork, eggplant and basil version that I tasted in Ostuni, Puglia, as well as chicken, ricotta and mint, which we’ve made at home.
This is the Milanese way to chop up and utilise the ubiquitous odd bit of stale bread and meat from the roast.
Mondeghini are breaded and fried to a crisp. In addition to freshly grated nutmeg, Maria uses Amaretti biscuits (small meringue made from bitter almonds, sugar and egg whites), which are sometimes used in savoury dishes such as stuffed pasta in parts of Lombardy. A substitute that comes to mind is the Chinese almond cookie, which is distributed for good fortune at Lunar New Year due to their resemblance to coins. The crumbly texture comes from lard or a neutral oil, and the almond is heavily toasted, but you might find it at the local Asian shops.
Whilst Mondeghini can be enriched with any kind of salumi or offal you have on hand, it’s common to use mortadella. It should be as artisanal and plain as possible–studded with no more than fat and/ or peppercorns. Personally, I don’t love the smooth texture of meat ground into a paste and boiled (perhaps an unfair impression gleaned over the years from sub-par ‘bologna’ sandwiches), but I am awaiting a trip to Bologna to be converted to Team Mortadella.
Acquaintances here in Melbourne whose families emigrated from post-war Italy to Australia recall the days when olive oil was only sold at the pharmacy, kids were taunted for bringing mortadella-stuffed panini to school, and neighbours called spaghetti “worms”. Today, these products are supermarket basics. Italian-American dishes such as chicken parma and pepperoni pizza are pub staples, and Italian food is now an integral part of the modern Australian table.
As Valtellina prepares to welcome a large influx of visitors for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, I hope many people try the local cuisine and discover something new. Not as trends to be consumed, but it can be a sampling of history, from the legacy of life-saving new world crops such as potato and corn, Arab/Spanish influences in the rice and meatballs, the golden touch of saffron, or a taste of decadence with veal (but make it frugal– enjoyed five ways in this series). Also, there is the art of growing, hunting and foraging throughout the year, then drying, fermenting, salting and baking to preserve food.
Compared to Maria, with her set of a dozen recipes consisting of hyper-local ingredients (with only a few notable exceptions such as tuna and black pepper), my family’s diet is more diverse, encompassing everything from cumin to seaweed.
Still, we keep things seasonal and minimally processed. And local, too– in contrast to Japan (with a self-sufficiency rate of under 40% when it comes to food security), Australia is an exporter of agricultural products, with a wide range of climates. Most kinds of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and meat are produced almost exclusively domestically (albeit introduced fairly recently and not native to the land). Although we don’t grow our own vegetables or keep chickens like Alberto’s brother in Valtellina, we choose, for example, grass-fed meat and free range eggs that are more ethical and healthy. We opt for quality over quantity. We shop from farmers' markets and small businesses as much as possible. We eat home cooked meals and generate little food waste.
It is worth revisiting the spirit of environmentalism and community behind Valtellina’s traditions, as climate change threatens the pure, inimitable tastes from farmers and artisans– the cheese in Sciatt, Polenta Taragna and Pizzoccheri handcrafted from the milk of alpine cows grazing on the hills; rice that wouldn’t be the same without the delicate ecosystem of frogs and marsh birds; and the wine that complements these dishes, rich in nourishing dairy products and animal proteins. Passing down these gastronomic customs and heritage is intertwined with the protection of its landscape and biodiversity.
Come for the ski slopes; stay for the cheese!
Mondeghili recipe
Serves 4
30 g stale rye bread, diced
30 ml milk
500 g leftover meat, finely chopped, or minced meat (such as veal and pork)
50 g mortadella, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
30 g Grana Padano, freshly grated
5 g Amaretti biscuits, crushed
80 g fine fresh breadcrumbs
150 g Lard, ghee (clarified butter) or your choice of frying oil
½ nutmeg, freshly grated
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine the bread and milk in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes until soft, then squeeze to remove the excess milk.
Place the meat and mortadella in a bowl and stir together. Add the egg, Grana, Amaretti, bread, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Combine well.
Using wet hands, form about 50 g of the mixture into an oval ball.
Roll in the breadcrumbs and place on a tray.
Repeat with the remaining beef mixture and breadcrumbs, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm.
Heat the frying oil in a pan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low-medium, then, working in batches, fry the meatballs for 3 minutes on each side or until cooked through and well-coloured all over.
Sprinkle with salt (unless dipping in tonnato sauce) and serve hot.
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