Happy Passover to all those celebrating this festival of moving from slavery to freedom, from fear and captivity to deliverance to home and family. Chag Sameach!
Bring the hostages home.
Foodie Lit will return after the Passover holiday.
This was the favorite dish at my seder, guests calling and texting to tell me! Slightly sweet with a luscious sauce, the veal-beef mixture was delicious and the small size just right. I made the leftovers for tonight with zoodles, zucchini noodles.
With Mother’s Day around the corner, these Sweet and Sour Meatballs would be a great addition to a brunch or family dinner. While I served them with zoodles, you can add rice, pasta or any grain. The meatballs and sauce freeze well, so make extra as this is going to be a fav with family and friends.
Look no further than this Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Dried Fruit adapted from Adeena Sussman's Shabbat cookbook.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Dried Fruit
Serves 6
Sauce
2 cups mixed dried chopped fruit: apricots, golden raisins, dark raisins,
cranberries, currants softened in 2 cups hot water
1 large onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 14-ounce crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
Juice of 1 lemon
Meatballs
1 pounds chopped beef
1 pound chopped veal
Reserved half of onion-garlic mixture
4-5 fresh sprigs of parsley, minced or 1 teaspoon parsley dried
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup breadcrumbs or matzah meal
2 teaspoons olive oil or water
Zoodles
4 medium zucchini, spiralized
Sauce
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Heat 4-5 quart Dutch Oven over medium heat. Sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic and continue sautéing for 2 more minutes. Divide onion garlic mixture in half and remove one half to a large bowl. Reserve.
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Add tomato paste and stir until darkened and the consistency is smooth and easy to add mix with the onions.
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Add crushed tomatoes, salt, cumin, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Drain and add dried fruit.
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Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat so the mixture simmers. Cover and stir occasionally to keep sauce from sticking on the pot’s bottom.
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Simmer for 20 minutes. Add lemon juice. Stir to combine.
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Add baked meatballs and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Meatballs
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Preheat oven to 375F.
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Mix beef, veal, parsley, ketchup, eggs, salt and cumin thoroughly.
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Add enough breadcrumbs or matzah meal until the mixture holds together.
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Using olive oil or water on your hands, make 1 1/2" meatballs. Place on parchment lined backing sheet.
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Bake for about 20 minutes or until meatballs are just firm. You can bring them to room temperature and freeze them at this point. To continue the recipe, cook in the sauce for 15-20 minutes.
Zoodles
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Spiralize zucchini. If you do not have a spiralizer, use a vegetable peeler, making continuous and thin peels.
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Bring 4-5 cups of water to a boil in a pan. Add zucchini and cook at a low boil for
2-2 ½ minutes. Drain and run cold water over zoodles to stop them from cooking.
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Place meatballs on a serving plate, with zoodles on the side with sauce covering them.
Expandthetable suggestions
Allium free: Replace onions with finely chopped fennel and garlic with 2-3 radishes, minced
Brown sugar: Use a sugar replacement for the brown sugar.
Ground Meat: Use any combination of ground beef, veal, turkey to chicken to make the meatballs.
Vegetarian: Use a 2 pounds vegan meat to replace the ground meat.
Adapted from Adeena Sussman. Shabbat.