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Cranberry-Glazed Meatballs

You can either fry the meatballs in a skillet with some oil, or bake them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet at 375ºF (190ºC) for 12 minutes, or until just cooked through. I used a Lebanese 7 spice mixture, which isn’t something you’ll find in your local grocery store most likely. You can make your own, use allspice, or use another spice blend, such as pumpkin pie spice. Although these are considered cocktail party fare, speared with toothpicks from a chafing dish, I served them with noodles and they were quickly gobbled up and enjoyed.

For the meatballs

  • 2 pounds (900g) ground pork
  • 3/4 cup (80g) bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice, or a spice mixture, such as pumpkin pie spice (see headnote)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • optional: 1/2 – 1 fresh chile pepper, seeded and finely diced

For the sauce

  • One 14-ounce (396g) can whole cranberry sauce
  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar, light or dark
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1-2 teaspoons sriracha, or another hot sauce, to your liking
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • To make the meatballs, in a medium bowl, mix the pork, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, allspice or spice mixture, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, fennel, garlic, a few turns of black pepper, and the chopped chili, if using.
  • If planning to bake the meatballs, preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape the meat mixture into meatballs, roughly the size of an unshelled walnut, and place them on the baking sheet. Bake the meatballs until cooked through, about 12 minutes. (If you want to pay fry them, heat some oil in a large skillet and fry them until cooked through. You may need to work in batches, depending on the size of your pan.)
  • While the meatballs are cooking, make the glaze by pureeing the cranberry sauce in a blender or food processor. Pour it into a large, wide saucepan or Dutch oven. Stir in the vinegar, orange juice, brown sugar, mustard, ginger, sriracha, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Heat the mixture, stirring, until it comes together. Add the warm meatballs and cook, stirring to glaze them in the sauce.

Notes

Serving: These are cocktail party fare so you can serve them as is, or they can be served with rice, polenta, or pasta, as a main course.
Storage: Once cooked, the meatballs are best eaten right away, although they can be rewarmed in a covered skillet or in a microwave oven. The meatball mixture can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated.