Oh my! These are the most scrumptious meatballs I have ever tasted! They just seem to melt in your mouth. Your guests are going to feel extremely spoiled when you serve these!
Meatballs are definitely a classic appetizer recipe. So we took our favorite recipe (a variation on Lidia Bastianich’s meatball recipe) and added a pomegranate maple glaze to punch up that holiday flavor. It’s sweet and tangy and just the right amount of sticky. Then you top them with pomegranate seeds, fresh parmesan cheese and parsley and they look magical. It’s frankly hard to make enough of these meatballs because everyone loves them so much!
We start by chopping up our onion and parsley. Add the ground meat, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and mixed it all together. Then set it all aside for the moment.
The real secret to Lidia’s meatballs is that she uses sliced Italian bread sliced in thin slices and soaked in milk for 5 minutes (not longer or it will turn to complete mush!). This adds incredible moisture and depth to the meatballs so they are tender on the inside but have a delicious crispy exterior.
Roll out some roughly one inch diameter balls and place them in a cast iron skillet on medium heat or put them on a cooling rack over a Silpat lined baking sheet.
Cooking them on the rack in the oven is a great choice if you have a ton of these to make but my favorite way to do them is to cook the meatballs entirely in a cast iron skillet. Be careful not to overcrowd them in the skillet or they will steam instead of crisp.
Making the glaze starts with pouring maple syrup and pomegranate juice into a sauce pan. Whisk in some cornstarch and place the pan over a medium heat until you get a rolling boil. Reduce to a low heat and stir until you get to a gravy like consistency before setting it aside to cool.
As soon as your sauce is done, add the pomegranate seeds and pour over the meatballs. Top with freshly shredded parmesan cheese, a tiny pinch of salt and pepper and a nice dusting of chopped parsley.
Happy holidays!
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