Wild Plum Events suggests pairing with Telaya 2016 Cabernet Franc
Yields about 30-40 Meatballs
• 1# ground pork
• 1# ground lamb
• 1 whole egg
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• ⅓ cup buttermilk (can sub sour cream or plain yogurt)
• 1 clove garlic grated or finely chopped
• 2 tspn salt
• 1t fish sauce (optional)
• Spices & herbs* (see note)
Combine all ingredients in standing mixer and mix until meat is fully combined and slightly sticky, about 1 minute. Fry up a little piece in a pan to taste and adjust seasonings to taste.
Preheat oven to 375º
Roll meatballs to desired size, a little smaller than a golf ball is recommended. Line them on a baking sheet with parchment if you have it (or right on the pan if you don’t) and bake meatballs until fully cooked and slightly brown in color, 15-25 minutes depending on size. Eat hot from the oven or cool and reheat in your desired sauce. For best results, stew the meatballs for about an hour in tomato sauce (see recipe below) to let all the flavors come together and the meatballs to soften slightly.
*If you don’t care for lamb, this recipe also works great with straight pork. Note that ground pork is often sold in grocery stores with added salt. If your pork is seasoned, you may want to reduce the salt in the recipe.
*Note on spices and herbs. This recipe has good flavor as is but benefits from the addition of a little extra character. Here are some spices and herbs I recommend adding to give your meatball flavor a little boost: ground fennel,
ground chili, ground coriander, ground cumin, black pepper, fresh chopped cilantro, fresh chopped chives, fresh chopped tarragon
Basic tomato sauce (Yields about 3 cups)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2T Olive oil
• ½ tspn. Salt
• ¼ cup red or white wine
• 2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomato
Combine onion, garlic, olive oil and salt in a medium sauce pan. Sauté over medium heat until fragrant and just
beginning to brown at the edges. Add wine and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and allow to stew
for about 30 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Add sauce to a blender and
pureé until smooth. Use for braised meats, pasta or pizza.