Tonight's Dinner
>> Sunday, November 29, 2009
My mom would make this dish every now and again when I was kid. It always felt like a special occasion when she made them, maybe this is why I always have to gear up for the "big production" before I pull out the lean ground beef and start chopping the onion. Truth is, these meatballs are super easy to make, and the sauce can't be messed up. You can even make the whole dish ahead of time and throw everything, meatballs and sauce, in a slow cooker for all the flavors to mix and mingle.
These hearty sweet and sour meatballs have become a favorite of Ryan's and mine. It will be one of those dishes I make until I'm eighty, and that our future children will be sick of by the time they're ten.
So, try out the recipe below for a good almost-winter dinner. I serve the meatballs over jasmine rice. Dry sake is a nice touch too. Enjoy!
What you'll need for the meatballs:
1 lb hamburger
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
(I always add in a little cayenne pepper)
What you'll need for the sweet and sour sauce:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (13 ounce) can pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 small green pepper, chopped
To make the meatballs:
Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs together. Shape into balls. (Insert joke here)
Cook meatballs over medium heat, turning occasionally until brown, about 20 minutes.
Place meatballs in a bowl and set aside.
For the sauce:
Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in the same pan you made the meatballs.
Stir in pineapple (with syrup), vinegar and soy sauce.
Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, reduce heat to simmer.
Add the meatballs.
Cover, simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.
Stir in green peppers.
Cover and simmer until green peppers are crispy-tender, about five minutes
(Thanks,Betty Crocker)
