Ham Meatballs in Apple-Madeira Sauce

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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Active time: 20 minutes

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Start to finish: 50 minutes

VARIATION

Instead of the raisins use a combination of chopped dried apricots and dried cranberries.

The mellow flavor of baked ham is bound with fresh pork for these meatballs and then cooked in a sauce made with heady Madeira wine and fruits. Serve for a Sunday brunch, and it’s a great way to use up leftover ham.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 cup apple cider, divided

³/₄ cup Madeira or medium-dry sherry

¹/₂ cup raisins

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons fresh thyme or ¹/₂ teaspoon dried

¹/₂ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 large egg

¹/₂ cup plain breadcrumbs

1 pound cooked ham, finely chopped

¹/₂ pound ground pork

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Vegetable oil spray

1. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Remove ¹/₂ of vegetable mixture, and set aside. Add apple, ³/₄ cup cider, Madeira, raisins, parsley, thyme, and cinnamon to the skillet, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer sauce over low heat, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

2. While sauce simmers, preheat the oven broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, and spray the foil with vegetable oil spray.

3. Combine egg, remaining ¹/₄ cup cider, and breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl, and whisk until smooth. Add reserved vegetable mixture, ham, and pork, season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix well again. Make mixture into 1¹/₂-inch meatballs, and arrange meatballs on the prepared pan. Spray tops of meatballs with vegetable oil spray.

4. Broil meatballs 6 inches from the broiler element, turning them with tongs to brown all sides. Remove meatballs from the baking pan with a slotted spoon, and add meatballs to sauce. Bring to a boil, and simmer meatballs over low heat, covered, turning occasionally with a slotted spoon, for 15 minutes. Mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water in a small bowl, and add to sauce. Cook for 1 minute, or until slightly thickened. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Note: The pork mixture can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Also, the dish can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat it in a 350°F oven, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot.

Some time-honored methods of cutting fruits and vegetables make sense in high-end restaurant kitchens where chefs have assistants prepping for them, but these techniques don’t make sense in our busy lives. If it matters how the apples in the dish look, then peeling, coring, and then slicing each half or quarter is still the best method. But if the apples are going to be hidden, as in this dish, there’s a faster way: Peel the apple and keep turning it in your hand as you cut off slices. Soon all you’ll be left with is the core, which you can discard. It’s much faster.