Cranberry Glazed Meatballs, lean ground turkey, thyme, fennel seed, ricotta, glazed with a tangy-sweet ruby red cranberry sauce.
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Meatballs with cranberry glaze. Holiday party anyone? I don’t know about you, but I love party appetizer meatballs.
Yummy! I can say this because I made 6 batches to work towards this final recipe and I think I personally ate most of them.
I use naturally lean and bland ground turkey that needs all the help it can get. So I spiced these meatballs up a bit with thyme and fennel seeds, and tossed in some ricotta cheese and milk-soaked torn bread to make them tender and soft (but still sturdy enough to pick up with a toothpick). .
The sauce is a cranberry glaze made with fresh or frozen cranberries flavored with orange zest, fresh ginger and a little cayenne pepper. Enjoy!
Cranberry Glazed Meatballs
ingredients
- Cranberry Glaze
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1 cup sugar
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1 cup of water
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1 12-ounce bag of cranberries, fresh or frozen (no thawing required)
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A pinch of salt
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1 teaspoon of orange zest
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1 teaspoon chopped ginger
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2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
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1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
- meatballs
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2 large slices of white bread, crusts removed, bread torn into small pieces (about 1 cup, wrapped, or 2 ounces of bread, may include 1/2 cup regular breadcrumbs)
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2 Table spoons of milk
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A generous 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
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1 egg
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1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
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1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
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flour for dusting (optional)
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vegetable oil
method
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Make the cranberry glaze:
by mixing all the glaze ingredients except the cayenne pepper in a small saucepan. Mix well and simmer until most of the berries have burst, about 15 minutes.
Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and press the cranberry puree against the sieve with the side of a rubber spatula. (Be sure to scrape the outside of the strainer with the spatula.) Add cayenne pepper to taste.
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Prepare Meatballs:
While the cranberries are cooking, prepare the meatballs. Place the torn bread in a small bowl and drizzle with the milk. Using a fork, pulverize the bread a little. In a large bowl, using the same fork, whisk together the ricotta and egg until smooth. Add the ground turkey, salt, thyme, fennel seeds and bread sprinkled with milk.
Mix gently with your (clean) hands until all ingredients are incorporated. Do not overwork the meatball mixture or the meatballs will be too dense.
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Roll out small meatballs carefully:
about 1 inch wide with your palms and place on a baking sheet or large plate.
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Fry the Meatballs:
Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, and sear on all sides. Use a fork to lightly poke and twist the meatballs.
Note that the meatballs are likely to be a little soggy, which can cause splattering when you cook them in the oil. To reduce this, you can sprinkle some flour on the meatballs or roll them in flour before they go into the pan. Add more oil to the pan as needed.
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Add glaze and let simmer:
Once the meatballs have browned and the glaze has set, pour the glaze into the pan with the meatballs. Simmer uncovered until glaze has reduced slightly and cook meatballs, about 5 minutes.
Remove the meatballs to a serving platter. Pour over the remaining cranberry glaze. If the frosting is too thick during this process, add a little water. If too thin, simmer a little longer.
Links:
Porkballs with Cranberry Glaze by David Lebovitz
Shutterbean Turkey Cranberry Meatballs
Drunk cranberry cocktail meatballs from a Great Island perspective
Turkey Cocktail Meatballs with Orange Cranberry Glaze video by Chef John of Food Wishes
