Tag: meatballs

Recipe: Pork and Roasted Scallion Meatballs with Tomato Chili Glaze

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Pork meatball recipeNormally, 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

Recipe: Roasted Garlic Pork Meatballs with Walnut Arugula Pesto

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Roasted Garlic Meatballs with Walnut Arugula PestoNow that fall is just around the corner, everyone is back and school and your workload is a bit more substantial (ok, a lot more substantial) than it was in August it can be hard to find extra time to put dinner on the table. While this is not quite a complete meal, both the meatballs and the pesto can be made ahead of time so when it comes to the 30 minutes between walking in the door and sitting down for supper, you’ll be ahead of the game.

Of course, these pork meatballs would also be fantastic in a variety of pasta sauces and the pesto makes a great spread for sandwiches when mixed with a little bit of greek yogurt or mayonnaise.

What you’ll need…

Meatballs:

1 yellow onion (diced)

1 1/2 lb ground pork

1 egg

1 bulb garlic (roasted, loosely chopped)

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 TBSP soy sauce

2 TSP grainy dijon mustard

1 TSP dried parsley

salt and pepper

canola oil

Pesto:

1 clove garic

1 lemon (zested and juiced)

1 1/4 cup arugula (packed)

2/3 cup walnuts

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cook down the diced onion in a pan with a bit of canola oil on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Place into large mixing bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Next, add in remaining meatball ingredients, season generously with salt and pepper and mix with hands until well-incorporated. Roll out by hand into 20 small meatballs, approximately 1″ in diameter.

Heat some canola oil in a large pan on medium-high heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, working in two batches. Transfer to a large baking dish and let roast in the oven until completely cooked through, about 15 minutes. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

For the pesto, place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse while slowly adding some olive oil (should only need approximately 1/3 cup) until a chunky sauce forms. Scoop into a small bowl, season lightly with salt and pepper and give the pesto on final stir.

To serve, place small spoonfuls of the pesto onto a serving platter and top with the warm meatballs. The pesto will keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Yields 20 meatballs, 2 cups pesto

Total cook time…30 min

Recipe: Rosemary, Kale and Pork Meatballs with Sweet Tomato Sauce

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Ah, meatballs! An Italian comfort food like no other. Perfect sitting atop a pile of warm spaghetti noodles and covered in sauce, or just plain delicious on their own by the forkful. The ground pork makes for a nice, tender texture and offers a lower fat content than most types ground beef. So, if you’re looking to cut some fat out of your diet as part of a New Year resolution, than stick to the ground pork side of things for the winter!

What you’ll need…

Tomato Sauce:

1/2 yellow onion (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 13.5 oz can Scarpone’s Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1 cup water

1 TBSP tomato paste

2 TSP cane sugar

1 TSP lemon juice

2 TBSP greek yogurt

salt and pepper

olive oil

Meatballs:

1/2 yellow onion (finely chopped)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

2 cups kale (stems removed, finely chopped)

1 lb ground pork

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 TBSP fresh rosemary (chopped)

2 TSP soy sauce

2 TSP worcestershire sauce

1 TSP cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

1 TBSP grapeseed oil (for browning meatballs)

Directions:

Starting off with the tomato sauce, cook down the onions and garlic on medium-high heat in a medium pan with some olive oil. Once onions soften, about 5 minutes, add the vinegar to the pan and let cook for another 5 minutes. Now, pour in the canned tomatoes, paste, water, sugar and lemon juice. Once the mixture starts to bubble, reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, place the contents of the pan into a food processor with the yogurt and puree until smooth. Return to pan, season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm until ready to serve.

For the meatballs, start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Then, cook the remaining half onion and garlic on medium-high heat in a small pan with a drizzle olive oil. After the onions soften, add in the kale and cook until wilted and vibrant green in colour, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan, place into a large mixing bowl and let cool slightly.

Place remaining ingredients into the mixing bowl and blend together with hands until everything

prepared baking dish. Pop into your preheated oven and let bake until meatballs are completely cooked through, about 15 minutes.

To serve spoon a generous amount of the fire roasted tomato sauce into a serving platter and place the hot meatballs on top. Either that, or get out a big bowl and drown the little guys in a deep pool of the delicious tomato sauce. To each their own! Best served with warm garlic bread to soak up all of the tomato-y goodness.

Yields 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce, 20 meatballs

Total cook time…45 min

Recipe: Pork Meatballs with Mandarin Orange and Fennel Sauce

Posted on by Dan Clapson

I came up with this recipe last Christmas. 100% Santa approved meatballs for the holidays! Turkey doesn’t always have to be the star at a Christmas Dinner, and this meatball side dish almost steals that bird’s spotlight away!

I generally don’t use mandarin oranges for anything other than simply peeling and eating, but thought that adding them to a sweet and sour sauce for these meatballs would make things a bit more merry. Speaking of merry, Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you are able to enjoy a nice holiday break with family and friends!

What you’ll need…

Meatballs:

1 yellow onion (finely chopped)

1 pound lean ground beef

1 pound ground pork

2 eggs

1/2 bulb roasted garlic (minced)

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)

2 TBSP ketchup

1 TSP chili powder

salt and pepper

olive oil

Sauce:

1 yellow onion (finely chopped)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 bulb fennel (thinly sliced, approximately 1 cup)

2 mandarin oranges (zest and juice)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup orange juice

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

2 TBSP brown sugar

1/4 TSP ground cloves

2 TSP flour

salt and pepper

olive oil

Directions:

Starting off with the meatballs…Place the onions in a medium-sized pan, drizzle with some olive oil and cook on medium-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and let cool for a few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and combine with a spoon or by hand (I say by hand! Come on, it’s comfort food!). Form into 20 2″ diameter balls and set aside for now. These can be made a day in advance, just leave covered in refrigerator.

Now, moving along to the sauce. First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the onion and garlic in a medium-sized pot, drizzle with some olive oil and let cook until the onion begins to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Next, aside from the flour, add all remaining ingredients into the pot. Once mixture comes to a bubble, reduce to low heat and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is simmering, you can brown the meatballs. Drizzle some olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the meatballs (in two separate batches) and brown on all sides, cooking them for about 6-8 minutes per batch. Remove and place into a prepared baking dish.

As a final step for the sauce, sprinkle in the flour to help it thicken a bit, then salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the meatball-filled baking dish and bake in the oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Serve on some white rice with some fresh bread or crostini to soak up the sauce! Happy holidays!

Serves 5-6

Total cook time…1 hour