Pomegranate Currant Sauce
Ingredients:
½ cup pomegranate molasses
½ cup currant jelly
Preparation:
1. Blend ingredients well in blender.
Meat Balls
Ingredients:
Makes about 30 small meatballs
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 cup minced onions
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
¼ cup white wine (St. Francis chardonnay or your favorite cooking wine)
2 eggs plus 1 yolk
1 cup panko (Japanese style) bread crumbs*
1 quart ground beef (1 pound 12 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon white pepper
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Baking liquid
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
5 ounces (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) pomegranate molasses *
Preparation:
1. Heat oil until it shimmers in medium saute pan, add onions, stir and cook for a minute or so, add garlic, stir together, then add wine all at once and remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 10 minutes to steam and soften onions. Spread out on a pan to cool, or place in refrigerator to chill.
2. Place eggs, yolk, and panko in a large bowl, stir together. Add beef and all the rest of the ingredients, including the cooled onion mix. Knead together well.
3. Using about 2 tablespoons of meat for each, form meat mix into balls.
4. Mix chicken stock and pomegranate molasses well for baking liquid.
5. Set meatballs into a lightly oiled baking pan, add baking liquid, and bake 20 minutes uncovered at 400°. Serve immediately with pomegranate currant sauce.
Notes:
*Both Panko bread crumbs and pomegranate molasses are available in gourmet markets, specialty stores, and some supermarkets.
*Meatballs can be made ahead and frozen until ready to use, or baked a day ahead and reheated.
About St. Francis Winery & Vineyards
For more than four decades, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards has hand-crafted fruit forward, luscious and full-bodied wines from the superior mountain and valley vineyards in Sonoma County’s best appellations. St. Francis wines are recognized globally for outstanding quality and great value. As a Certified Sustainable, family-owned winery, they have worked to preserve Sonoma County’s natural resources for future generations.
Meat Balls with Pomegranate Currant Sauce
