Pork, garlic and Basil Meatballs

Oh my...........these are sooooo good. Moe pronounced them "Fabulous".

These meatballs were influenced by a recipe I found on The Hungry Mouse's Blog for Basil, Garlic and Pork burgers,

I saw Hungry Mouse's picture of the Burgers on Food Gawker and although I thought that they looked and sounded really good, I'm a traditionalist when it comes to my burgers. But, I thought the mixture could be adapted to make meatballs, so, I stopped on my way to work and picked up fresh ground pork and fresh basil.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Pork Meatballs seasoned with Garlic and Fresh Basil
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1 1/2 pounds ground pork
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly cracked black pepper
salt


Sauce

olive oil
2 to 3 cloves of garlic
2 cans of tomatoes
high quality dried basil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil


For the Meatballs

Put the meat in a bowl. Tip: Using a microplane grate the garlic. This is the quickest and easiest way to make a garlic paste. Add the parmesan cheese and the salt and pepper. Pulse the basil with the bread crumbs and add to the bowl. Add the eggs and mix well. Tip: To check for seasoning by frying a small piece.

Form into meatballs and brown in olive oil. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer about one hour.

For the Sauce

Add the garlic cloves to the oil and saute for 30 to 60 seconds. Do not let the garlic brown.

Add the tomatoes, dried basil, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the browned meatballs and continue to simmer for about an hour or until the meatballs are tender.

Just before serving add fresh chopped basil.