RECIPE: Easy sweet and sour pork meatballs

I used to love sweet and sour pork when I was a kid but these days I'm not so fond of capsicum (no-one in the house is) which prevents me from having that, and, I can't even remember the last time we had takeway Chinese.   Sweet and sour is a new kind of taste for our family and I can pretty much guarantee my kids eating anything if it's a meatball.  So instead of going down the deep-fried-battered-pork route I went to the shallow-fry meatball option.  These are great to make ahead too, take about 40 minutes from beginning to end I made some this weekend and have tucked them away for a night this week.. of course after we had all taste-tested one - and the reports from the frills - YUM MUM!

Ingredients:

Meatballs

500g minced pork

3 slices bread or 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs

1/2 red onion, finely diced

2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)

1 sprigs fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried)

1 egg

100g butter

3tb olive oil

Sauce

2 tb olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 carrot, finely diced

2/3 cup white vinegar

2/3 cup caster sugar

2 1/2 tb soy sauce

1 400g tin of pineapple rings in natural juice, drained and each ring cut into 8.

Method:

If you have a food processor (I love this mini-version - the Braun MultiQuick cordless) process your bread into the breadcrumbs, and then empty it into the bowl with the mince, then add onion and herb and process those also.  So quick and easy.  If you don't, cut up your bread, onion and herbs as finely as possible.

Combine all those dry ingredients with the mince and then mix through your egg.

Roll into meatballs about the diameter of a 50c piece.

Heat 100g butter and 3tb olive oil in a pan.  Don't worry too much, most of it is left behind, but it makes the outer of your meatballs stick together well and also get that yummy crispiness.

Add your meatballs and you'll need to turn them twice after about 5 minutes of frying away at a medium-high heat.

See? They crisp up beautifully, which is important for your sauce to stick properly.

Whilst the meatballs are getting crispy make your sauce by adding 2 tb olive oil to a deep frypan or skillet.  Cook off your garlic and carrot until soft.

Add vinegar, sugar and soy sauce and then lastly add the pineapple pieces. Simmer until it starts to thicken, only takes a few minutes.

As your meatballs finish their browning/crisping, transfer them to the pan with the sauce and coat them, turning them every two minutes or so until you have all your meatballs in the pan and they are nicely covered.

Serve with vegetables or rice.

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