Normally, I wouldn’t be cooking up meatballs on a lovely mid-Spring day, but guess what? We’ve had hardly any nice Spring days here in Calgary. Thank god for comfort food! Can I get an “Amen!” on that statement, folks?

This recipe sees some awesome (and easily accessible!) Asian ingredients to add some robust flavour and spiciness to the tender, juicy two-bite item we call a meatball. The tomato glaze will also work well on pork ribs, chops or tenderloin, so feel free to play around with it!

What you’ll need…

Tomato Chili Glaze:

1 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes

1 clove garlic (finely grated)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sriracha

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 teaspoons red chili flakes

Roasted Scallion and Pork Meatballs:

1 bunch scallions (washed and halved)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 lb ground pork

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely shredded napa cabbage

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon five spice powder

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

canola oil (for cooking meatballs

Directions:

Tomato Chili Glaze:

Place all ingredients in a large pan, stir well to incorporate and bring to a simmer on medium-high heat.

Reduce to medium heat and let cook for 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring regularly.

Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Roasted Scallion and Pork Meatballs:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place scallions on baking sheet, drizzle with canola oil and bake until well-roasted (almost charred), approximately 14-16 minutes.

Remove from oven – leave oven on – and let cool for a few minutes, then finely chop.

Place scallions into a large bowl with remaining meatball ingredients, mix well with hand and form into 12 1″ meatballs.

Heat some canola oil in a cast iron pan on medium-high heat until very hot. Working in 2 batches, sear the meatballs on all sides, approximately 3 minutes per batch.

Nestle all 12 meatballs into pan, add tomato chili glaze, shaking the pan slightly to make sure all meatballs are lightly coated.

Transfer to oven and let cook for 15 minutes.

Remove and let cool slightly before serving. Serve in cast iron pan directly on table (on top of a trivet or similar item, of course!) or in a more elegant serving bowl if you want to be less lazy than I am when I have people over for dinner!

Yields 24 meatballs, 2 cups glaze

Total cook time…45 min