Even though this dish was not part of our Iron Chef Thanksgiving, it did seem appropriate to follow my recent theme of apples. This recipe is from a Tapas Monday early in November. The inspiration for this recipe was quite simple. We had a fruit bin filled with apples from a local orchard and a freezer filled with pork from a local farm. Combining the two in a meatball seemed like a terrific format for our late night meal.
The trickier part of this recipe was deciding what would be the simmering liquid. While I could have baked the meatballs right before dinner, I love the tenderness and additional flavor that simmering produces. Plus, it makes the house smell delicious and feel warmer. A combination of chicken stock and apple cider worked quite well and kept the meal light.
Although apple in a meatball may sound a little different, it delivers a nice hint of sweetness and is well worth trying.
- 1/2 Tb. olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1 piece pita bread
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 1 apple, peeled, cored, & shredded
- 1 Tb. fresh sage, minced
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
- Add onion, and sauté for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Place pita bread in a blender and purée to create bread crumbs.
- In a large bowl combine pork, apple, sage, cinnamon, cooled onion, and pita bread crumbs. Mix well. Form into small balls, and place on a rimmed baking tray.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.
- Serve or simmer. If simmering, place meatballs in a medium pot. Combine equal amounts of chicken stock and apple cider, enough to cover meatballs.
- Cover and place over a low heat until ready to serve.
Just have tried it myself and I must admit that it’s one magnificent meal to be made!
Great work and I hope you will post way more of this delicious stuff 🙂