Piggy Toes Recipes

Steps:

• In a large stainless steel pot, place pig's feet and enough water to cover. Boil feet 2 hours or until tender; drain. Rinse feet in hot water to remove excess fat. Remove as many bones as you can.
• Put 1 chili pepper and 3 pig's feet in each one quart jar. In a separate bowl, mix salt and vinegar together. Pour vinegar mixture over pig's feet to cover. Seal jars and refrigerate for at least 3 days to 1 week before eating.

Steps:

• Rinse feet well, pat dry with paper towels and place in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover and stir in 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer for about 4 to 5 hours or until the meat falls off of the bones.
• Remove meat from bones and place in a shallow dish or bowl. Set aside. Drain saucepan, reserving 2 cups of cooking liquid. In the same saucepan combine the reserved cooking liquid, remaining salt, vinegar, cloves, peppercorns, star anise and pickling spices. Bring to a boil and boil for 35 minutes.
• Strain liquid and reserve. Pour reserved liquid over the top of the meat. Cover and refrigerate. Chill for at least 10 hours before serving.

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the milk, yeast, sugar, and flour with a rubber spatula until the dough starts to come together.
• Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook and mix the dough on medium-high speed for 10 minutes, until smooth.
• Cover the dough with a wet towel and let rest for 1 hour.
• Pull off about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball, then roll out into a log. Fold the outer ends of the log inward to overlap the center, then roll out into a log again. Repeat 2-3 more times, until the dough is very smooth. Roll the dough into a ball again. Press the ball flat, then flip so the less-smooth side is up. Press a chocolate truffle into the center, then wrap the dough around the truffle to seal. Roll into a smooth ball again and place on a small square of parchment paper. Repeat to make 12 total buns, leaving some excess dough for decorating.
• Add a few drops of pink food coloring to another portion of dough and roll out the dough as before, until the color is uniform.
• Pull off a very small portion of dough and add a drop of black food coloring. Knead until the coloring is uniform.
• Use a finger to slightly dampen the outside of a bun. Stick on 2 small dots of black dough for the eyes. Shape a piece of pink dough into a flat disc, then stick on the front of the bun for the nose. Shape 2 more small pieces of pink dough into cone shapes, then stick on top of the bun for the ears. Use the end of a chopstick to poke 2 holes in the snout, then into the center of the ears to make folds. Repeat with the remaining buns.
• Let the buns rest for 30 minutes.
• Fill the bottom of a steamer with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. (If you don't have a steamer, fill a large pot with a bowl at the bottom with water, then place a plate on top of the bowl, making sure the water does not come over the edges of the plate.)
• Add the buns to the steamer, leaving enough space for the buns to expand. Cover the pot and steam the buns for 9-10 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through. Turn off the heat and let the buns rest in the steamer for 5 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!