Savory Recipes

Delzoun Tide-Me-Overs (Meatballs)

Ingredients

- 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream 

- 1 Egg

- 2 Slices Dark Bread (Such As Rye), Crusts Discarded, Remainder Torn Into Pieces

- 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

- 1 Small Yellow Onion, Finely Chopped

- Kosher Salt

- 1/4 Tsp Ground Allspice 

- 8oz Ground Pork 

- 8oz Lean Ground Beef

- 1 Tsp Baking Powder 

- Freshly Ground Black Pepper

- 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour

- 1 1/3 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

- 1 Tsp Light Brown Sugar

- 1 1/2 Tsp Soy Sauce

- 1/2 Tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

- 3 Tbsp Finely Chopped Dill or Parsley

Directions

- In a large bowl, whisk together the cream and egg. Add the bread, mix well, and set aside, stirring occasionally, until the bread is softened, about 20 minutes. Using a fork or sturdy spoon, mash the bread into a paste and set aside.

- Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp of the butter. Add the onion and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the allspice and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 40 seconds. Remove from hear and let cool to room temperature. 

- Preheat oven to 475 F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Coat a large wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and set it in a large rimmed baking shit. 

- Add the cooled onion mixture, pork, ground beef, baking powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper to the bread paste and, using a large spoon or your hands, mix until well combined and uniform.

- With moistened hands, form the mixture into generous 1 tbsp size balls. Arrange the meatballs on the rack in the baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. 

- Wipe out the skillet used for the onions to remove any stray onion bits, set it over medium heat, and melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter. Stirring constantly, cook until fragrant and a shade darker, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes, Switch to a whisk and gradually add the broth. Continue to whisk often, cook for about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp pepper and continue to whisk and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes more. 

- Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally until heated through, about 4 minutes. Stir in most of the dill and taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with the remaining dill, and serve hot. 

Notes

- The sauce will thicken quickly as it cools. You can loosen the consistency by whisking in extra chicken broth or water, about 1 tbsp at a time, until you have achieved the desired texture.

- We made these with ground turkey instead of ground pork because its what we had on hand, but either way the meatballs came out very tender and moist. I think the flavor will be even better with the pork, but these were still wonderful. I do think the sauce itself could have used some more flavor, so next time I'm thinking about doubling the amount of lemon.