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Golden oval figatells, wrapped in almost melted caul fat, on a plain white plate, with pine nuts visible in the cut

Figatells

Figatells or fardeles: a step-by-step recipe

Figatells or fardeles for 4: balls of pork liver, lean pork and belly with pine nuts and aniseed, wrapped in mantellina and browned on a griddle.

Traditional recipe

Yield
4 servings
Preparation and cooking
15 min
Difficulty
Easy
Region
Valencian Community
Xepep

Figatells

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Figatells

  • 200 gMinced lean pork
  • 300 gPork liver
  • 100 gPork belly
  • 50 gPine nuts
  • 1 pcsEgg
  • 1 cloveGarlic clove, very finely chopped
  • 1 tspAniseed
  • to tasteFresh parsley
  • to tasteMantellina (pork caul fat, also called crepineta, redaño or telilla; or lamb)
  • to tasteExtra virgin olive oil
  • to tasteSalt
  • to tastePepper

Ingredients

    Recipe PDF (Yield base: 4 servings)

    Steps

    1. 1
      Ask the butcher to mince the pork liver together with the minced lean pork and the pork belly.
    2. 2
      Put the three meats in a bowl with the pine nuts, the egg, the garlic clove, very finely chopped, the aniseed and the fresh parsley. Mix well and spread the mixture out to season it to taste with salt and pepper.
    3. 3
      Shape balls a little bigger than traditional meatballs, pressing firmly so that they do not fall apart later.
    4. 4
      Cut pieces of mantellina, stretch them out on the table and put a ball of meat on each.
    5. 5
      Close each piece, wrapping the meat well.
    6. 6
      Leave the figatells to rest in the fridge until the moment you eat them.
    7. 7
      When you are going to eat them, cook them on the griddle with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil until they are well browned on the outside on both sides.5 min
    Raw oval pork and liver figatells, each wrapped in translucent caul fat on a plate, with parsley and pine nuts in bowls

    Figatells, also called fardeles, are balls of minced pork with liver, wrapped in a thin membrane and cooked on the griddle. The recipe is the one from Directo al Paladar, for four people, and it is the base source of this recipe card.

    Liver, lean pork and belly

    The mixture is built on three kinds of pork: liver, lean pork and belly. The recipe does not have you mince them at home: it asks the butcher to mince the three together, so the first stop is the butcher’s. It is best to order ahead, and to ask on the same visit for the membrane for wrapping.

    The rest of the list is short: pine nuts, one egg, one very finely chopped garlic clove, aniseed and parsley, with salt and pepper. The seasoning is adjusted to taste, according to the method. As they contain liver, egg and pine nuts, go over the 14 allergens if you are serving them to guests.

    The mixture

    The three minced meats go into a bowl along with the pine nuts, the egg, the garlic, the aniseed and the parsley. The method says to mix well and spread the mixture out to season it with salt and pepper to taste. Mixing thoroughly is what distributes the egg, the garlic and the pine nuts throughout the meat, and it is what gives each ball its uniformity.

    The ball and the mantellina

    With the mixture ready, balls are shaped a little bigger than traditional meatballs. The recipe insists on pressing them firmly so that they do not fall apart later. Each ball is placed on a piece of mantellina, the thin membrane that serves as the wrapping, stretched out beforehand on the table.

    The source allows other names for that wrapping: crepineta, redaño or pork telilla, and also lamb. That is what you should ask for at the butcher’s along with the mincing. Close each piece, wrapping the meat well, and put them together on a tray as you finish them.

    Fridge, griddle and freezing

    The figatells are left to rest in the fridge until the moment they are eaten. The source gives no resting time, so what matters is for the kitchen to be ahead of the service and for you not to leave them until the last moment.

    To cook them, they are done on the griddle with a few drops of oil, until they are well browned on the outside on both sides. It is a short cooking time, about 5 minutes according to the recipe’s header, and it needs no more technique than watching the browning.

    If you have any left over, the source says that any you are not going to cook can be frozen uncooked, for later. It is the only storage instruction the recipe gives.

    How to organise the kitchen

    It is a dish with a lot of handwork and little fire. Before starting, have the bowl, the mantellina to hand and a tray for leaving the figatells once wrapped. Take your time over the wrapping, because it is the part that takes the longest, and leave the griddle for the end, when the guests are already seated.

    How much time you really need

    The header adds up to 15 minutes: 10 of preparation and 5 of cooking. That figure does not include the time at the butcher’s for the mincing or the rest in the fridge, which has no stated time. If you want them for a meal at a particular time, make the figatells in advance and leave the griddle for the moment of serving.

    How to eat them and what else to serve

    Directo al Paladar proposes several ways to enjoy them: as nibbles, plated like a homemade burger, in a bread roll or with salad, or inside more elaborate dishes. If you like dipping, there is our allioli. And if you want another Valencian recipe to share at the same table, see the tomato and pepper coca.

    Details of the mixture worth looking after

    Three practical points from the method. Mix well before shaping the balls, so that the egg, the garlic and the pine nuts are spread through the meat. Press with your hands as you shape them, which is what stops them falling apart. And close each piece of mantellina well, because the wrapping is what keeps the ball whole until the griddle.

    If the meal is for a group

    If you are organising a group meal, see how we handle local fiestas and ask for a quote with what you need.

    History and variations

    Directo al Paladar calls them figatells or fardeles and includes them among the recipes of the Valencian Community, although its page also tags them with Aragon. In another of its articles it defines them as “the little-known artisan sausage packed with offal of Valencian gastronomy”.

    The 14 allergens

    Tips

    Ask the butcher to mince the liver, the lean pork and the pork belly together. Sources

    Press the balls firmly as you shape them and wrap them carefully so that they do not fall apart later. Sources

    Any figatells you are not going to cook can be frozen uncooked, for later. Sources

    Well-browned oval figatells on a smooth metal griddle

    Figatells

    Frequently asked questions

    What is mantellina and can it be replaced?

    It is the wrapping that closes each ball of meat. Directo al Paladar speaks of crepineta, mantellina, redaño or pork telilla, or lamb, and does not propose any other substitute. The practical thing is to ask for it at the butcher’s at the same time as the mincing, and have it ready before shaping the balls.

    Can figatells be frozen?

    Yes, according to the base source: any you are not going to cook can be frozen uncooked, for later. It is the only storage instruction the recipe gives; it does not say how long they keep or how to defrost them, so there you rely on your own cooking judgement.

    How much time should you really allow?

    The Directo al Paladar header adds up to 15 minutes: 10 of preparation and 5 of cooking. But the recipe first goes through the butcher, who minces the meat, and through the fridge, where the figatells rest for no stated time, so the dish takes longer than that figure. Plan the rest with room to spare before the griddle.

    Sources

    Glossary terms

    Recipes