amanda’s sweet & sour meatballs

May 22, 2014 § 43 Comments

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This beautiful recipe comes from Amanda.  I will never forget her post around Easter time when she talked about family, traditions, childhood memories, the importance of gatherings as a child and inventing new traditions within our own beliefs and lives.  This post was such a beautiful narrative of nostalgia;  a longing to go back, if only for a moment to revisit the memorable gatherings of our past and relive the sensations we felt.

In the past year I have made several of Amanda’s recipes.  Notably, her Andalucian cold almond soup (Ajo Blanco), which is silky, cool and just the right dinner on a hot summer evening.  I remember blanching and slipping the skins off of the almonds, a very peaceful and meditative task.  This is a delicious cold refreshing white gazpacho.  We plan on making this soup again soon and this time using home made almond milk.

Back to the meatballs.  These meatballs are her adaptation of her Grandma’s sweet and tangy meatballs and The Shiksa in the Kitchen, and quite frankly, they are soul food.

This recipe is not adapted in any way from What’s Cooking – Fine dining my way.  Thank you Amanda.  We loved your sweet and sour meatballs.

I n g r e d i e n t s

  • 1 pineapple cut up
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar (or another Passover-approved vinegar)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3/4 tsp salt, divided
  • 1 garlic clove chopped
  • 1 lb chopped turkey meat
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3-4 tbsp matzo meal 
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 handful cilantro leaves
  • Pinch of cayenne

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M e t h o d

If you are able to preserve any of the juice from your pineapples save it in a separate cup. In a large pot or dutch oven, mix together tomato sauce, cider vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, 1/2 tsp salt and the juice from the pineapples. Stir together and turn heat to low to let the sauce slowly warm.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl use a fork to mix together the ground turkey, egg, matzo meal, paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, garlic, onion, black pepper, coriander seeds, cilantro and cayenne. I like a little heat in the meatballs, so I add a 1/2 tsp of cayenne or sometimes I just use Spanish smoked paprika, which also brings heat, but here it could overwhelm. If you don’t want them spicy, you can omit it completely– or just add a pinch of cayenne for depth of flavor.

Form the meat mixture into small 1-inch meatballs. If the mixture seems to moist or stick, add another tablespoon of matzo meal to the mixture. Place the meatballs into the warming sauce. When all the meatballs are formed, bring the mixture to a boil and stir to cover the meatballs with sauce. Lower the heat to a low, even simmer and cover the pot.

Let the meatballs cook for 40 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and meatballs cook all the way through. After 40 minutes, add the pineapple chunks to the sauce and stir to coat. Let the chunks warm in the sauce for 5 minutes. Serve hot with cilantro to garnish.

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