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Ingredients
- Title:For the meatballs
- 150g minced pork shoulder
- 150g minced veal shoulder
- 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic
- 1 egg
- 50g finely grated Parmesan
- cheese
- 1/2 cup finely chopped
- flat-leaf parsley
- 3 good pinches salt
- 1/2 tsp fine white pepper
- Title:For the beans
- 800g dried beans, such as lima, butter or borlotti, soaked overnight*
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 100g prosciutto or pancetta,
- diced finely
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 200ml red wine
- 15 sage leaves, whole
- 2 bay leaves
- 500g pureed canned tomatoes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- * Dried beans need at least eight hours soaking and 12 are preferable. Pick out any that are discoloured and cover the beans under 3-4cm of cold water. Any that float are probably too old and should be discarded. Always drain and rinse the beans before using and never use the soaking water for cooking. Simmer beans gently so they retain their shape.
Method
Combine all the meatball ingredients. Roll into balls about 2.5cm in diameter and refrigerate until needed.
Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof dish and lightly fry the prosciutto, onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the red wine and cook until the liquid reduces by half. Add the drained beans, herbs and tomatoes and season with 2-3 good pinches of salt. Mix well. Cover with a lid and bake in a preheated 140C oven for 60-90 minutes until beans are cooked.
Add the meatballs to the dish, distributing evenly and carefully covering with some of the liquid. Add some cracked pepper and return to the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Serve hot with bread.
