Memorable Quotes:

“A Bearnaise sauce is simply an egg yolk, a shallot, a little tarragon vinegar and butter, but it takes years of practice for the result to be perfect.” — Fernand Point

Sheila's Meatballs

Tender Parmesan-seasoned meatballs are lightly floured and browned until crusty, then served with a tangy-sweet sauce made with brown sugar, chili sauce, vinegar, pineapple juice, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. These make a great warm appetizer for parties or can be served as a main dish.


Yield: Not provided
Prep Time: About 25 minutes
Cook Time: About 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs:

  • 4 slices bread
  • Milk, for soaking the bread
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ teaspoon dried sweet basil
  • 2 small garlic cloves, crushed or grated
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • All-purpose flour, for coating
  • Oil, for browning

For the Sweet & Sour Sauce:

  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup chili sauce
  • ½ cup vinegar
  • ½ cup pineapple juice
  • 2 tablespoons dry mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

  1. Soak the bread slices in enough milk to thoroughly moisten them. Squeeze out the excess milk.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the soaked bread, ground beef, Parmesan, parsley, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and beaten eggs. Mix until evenly combined.
  3. Form the mixture into meatballs approximately the size of walnuts.
  4. Lightly roll each meatball in flour.
  5. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet. Brown the meatballs briefly on all sides until they develop a crusty exterior and meat is above 160 degrees.
  6. In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, chili sauce, vinegar, pineapple juice, dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
  7. Heat the sauce, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
  8. Pour the warm sweet-and-sour sauce over the meatballs and serve warm.

Tip: The original recipe says to brown the meatballs only “for a short time until crusty,” but doesn't provide a subsequent cooking step or specify that they should be cooked through. Since they contain raw ground beef and eggs, I would make sure the meatballs reach 160°F internally before serving. They could be gently simmered in the sauce after browning until fully cooked.

Source: Unknown