I’m Italian so growing up, there was always an abundance of my Grandma’s meatballs. We never veered from the family recipe, and I loved it every single time. Now, as an adult who loves to cook, I like to play around with family recipes and went with an Asian flare this time around. Hope you enjoy this one!
Toast your bread until its nice and dry and crusty. Once cooled, tear bread into chunks and put into food processor to make breadcrumbs. Blend to your desired consistency.
In cast iron skillet, heat up 2 TBSP EVOO. Add the carrots, onions and celery to pan and cook until tender, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat, put in to a bowl and place in the fridge to let cool. It’s always best to work with cold ingredients when making meatballs or sausages!
In a mixing bowl, combine ground pork, half of the sautéed veggies, eggs, 1 cup of breadcrumbs, 3/4 of cilantro, garlic and salt and pepper. Mix evenly without using too much pressure. Form into large meatballs (you should be able to get 6-8) ensuring not to overwork the mix. Once formed, place in the fridge or freezer to cool and rest.
Back to the cast iron, add 2 TBSP of EVOO and heat up. Gently brown your meatballs on all sides. Remove meatballs from pan.
Add in the remaining half of veggies and deglaze the pan with your wine and coconut aminos. Add in chicken stock, honey and lime juice. Let simmer for 5-7 minutes.
Add meatballs back into the skillet and add in broccolini. Place into the oven until fully cooked, approximately 8-10 minutes.
Serve with white rice, a squeeze of lime and some fresh cilantro!
Notes:
Feel free to use any veggies you’d like to accompany the meatballs.
