Prep Time
1 hr 30 mins
Cook Time
6
minutesTotal Time
8
minutesServings
12
Yield
24 meatballs with sauce
Ingredients
3 tablespoons — olive oil, divided
3 — whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 — pig’s feet
1 pound — pork neck bones
2 ½ cups — water, divided
2 (6 ounce) cans — tomato paste
2 (28 ounce) cans — tomato purée
1 tablespoon — white sugar
1 teaspoon — ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon — baking soda
1 (16 ounce) loaf — fresh Italian bread, torn into 2-inch pieces
1 pound — ground pork
1 pound — ground veal
1 pound — ground beef
6 — eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons — chopped fresh basil
1 clove — garlic, minced
undefined — salt and ground black pepper, to taste
6 — hard-boiled eggs, peeled
Directions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add 3 whole garlic cloves; cook until brown and fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove garlic cloves; set aside. Add pig’s feet and pork neck bones to the saucepan; cook, turning occasionally, until meat and bones have browned, about 15 minutes.
- Return garlic cloves to saucepan; stir in 1 1/2 cups water and tomato paste. Bring to a boil; add tomato purée. Reduce heat to low; simmer until pig’s feet are tender and mixture begins to thicken, about 3 hours, stirring often from the bottom to prevent burning. Stir in sugar, black pepper, and baking soda; simmer while preparing meatballs.
- Soak torn bread in a bowl with remaining 1 cup water; squeeze excess water from bread. Place bread in a large bowl. Add ground pork, ground veal, ground beef, and 6 beaten eggs; mix thoroughly and form into 24 meatballs about 2 1/2-inches in diameter.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, stir in basil and minced garlic; cook about 1 minute. Add meatballs, working in batches, if necessary; season with salt and black pepper. Cook on all sides until brown, about 15 minutes.
- Add meatballs, oil, basil, and minced garlic to sauce, gently stirring to avoid breaking meatballs. Add 6 whole hard-boiled eggs; simmer until meatballs are cooked, sauce is thick, and flavors have blended, about 1 1/2 hours.
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