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!

Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze Recipe

Printable Version

theinspiredhome.com

INGREDIENTS

For the Meatballs:

1 small onion, chopped finely
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (plus extra for serving)
1 bunch Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped (reserve ¼ cup for garnish)
2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
8 eggs, whisked
1 loaf of french bread, sliced thinly
1 cup of milk
3 cups of Italian bread crumbs
1 cup of raisins
1 cup of hot water

For the Pomegranate glaze:

1 cup pomegranate juice
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup pomegranate seeds

Serve with: parmesan cheese, parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

DIRECTIONS

For the Meatballs:

Preheat the oven to 350 if baking in the oven.
Mix the onion, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, meat and eggs together.
In another bowl add bread to milk and let it soak for 5 minutes.
Soak the raisins in the cup of hot water for 5 minutes to plump up.
After 5 minutes of soaking the bread, squeeze as much milk out of the bread as you can lightly.
Add bread to meat mixture, by breaking the bread into small pieces while mixing in.
Add bread crumbs and drained raisins and mix well with your hands.
Roll into roughly one inch diameter balls.
These can be made in the oven or in a cast iron skillet. I prefer the skillet but if you have a lot to make and don’t have time to wait use a Silpat lined baking sheet with a cooling rack.
Oven: Place onto a rack over a cookie sheet. We added a silpat baking mat underneath, to help with cleanup. Bake for 30 minutes.
Cast Iron: Place in a cast iron skillet and brown meatballs over medium high heat, turning regularly.

Making the Glaze:

Add juice and maple syrup into a small saucepan. Whisk in cornstarch while cold until smooth.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low until mixture has thickened.
Once reduced add pomegranate seeds and pour on top of meatballs.
Top with glaze, parmesan cheese, parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper. Serve hot.