Polpette al Sugo (Meatballs in Tomato Sauce) vs İzmir Köfte (Meatballs with Potatoes and Tomato Sauce)

Both dishes bind ground meat with egg, breadcrumbs, parsley and garlic and brown it in olive oil, but they diverge from there. The polpette get their softness from milk-soaked bread and savory depth from Parmesan, then simmer slowly in crushed tomatoes with sautéed onion until tender, finished with torn fresh basil. The oval İzmir köfte, seasoned with cumin and grated onion, bake with potato wedges, green and red peppers and tomato slices in a thin tomato-paste sauce until the potatoes are fork-tender. One is a gentle stovetop simmer; the other is a hearty one-tray bake.