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1
Beat the eggs well in a large mixing bowl.
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2
Heap the bread crumbs, grated cheese, salt, chopped basil, and garlic on top of the eggs, and mix everything together well, first with a big spoon or spatula and then with your hands.
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3
The dough should come together in a soft mass, leaving the sides of the bowl.
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4
If it is very sticky, work in more bread crumbs a bit at a time.
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5
Break off tablespoonful pieces of dough, and one by one roll them in your palms into a smooth ball.
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6
Place the polpettine on a board or tray covered with wax paper or parchmentyou should get about sixty balls total.
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7
Pour 1/8 inch oil into the skillet, and set over a medium flame.
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8
When the oil is hot enough that a test ball starts sizzling on contact, lay in as many polpettine as will fill the pan with clear space around themyou should be able to fit in twenty or thirty.
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9
Adjust the heat so the oil stays hot and the rounds are sizzling and browning nicely but not burning.
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10
Turn them frequently, so they fry on all sides.
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11
When the balls are evenly browned and crispy, lift them from the pan, let the oil drip back in for a moment, then lay them on paper towels to drain.
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12
Fry all the polpettine in batches this way, adding more oil as needed.
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13
As a snack or hors doeuvre, serve each freshly fried batch while hot and crispy.
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14
To finish and serve polpettine with tomato sauce, heat 6 cups of the sauce to a simmer in the big saucepan.
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15
Drop in all the balls, and return the sauce to a simmer, gently turning the polpettine so all are submerged and coated.
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16
Cook for about 5 minutes, or just until the polpettine are heated all the way through.
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17
Immediately spoon out the balls in portions: Heap ten or so in warm pasta bowls, with sauce on top, for main-course servings; garnish with a sprinkle of grated cheese and a basil leaf.
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18
As a first course, serve four to six polpettine on plates, in a pool of sauce.
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19
Or pile all the balls up high in a deep platter to share them family-style.
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20
Sprinkle cheese over the top, and serve right away.
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21
A note of advice: Keep in mind that the longer the polpettine stay in the sauce the more they will absorb it and become softquite delicious, but delicate to handle.
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22
Plan to serve them as soon as they are heated through.
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23
If theyve soaked up most of the sauce in this timeor if your guests are lateheat up about 1 cup more, spoon it over the polpettine, or pass it at the table.
