Putting together a Passover celebration? Looking for something easy to make and eat? These Jewish Sweet and Sour Meatballs from Tori Avey paired with our 2017 Blaufränkisch are sure to add some flavor and color to your table.

Jewish Sweet and Sour Meatballs

By: Tori Avey

Ingredients

• 40 oz pineapple chunks in their own juice (no sugar added) (2 cans)
• 3/4 cup tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar (for Passover use a KFP vinegar)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 3/4 tsp salt, divided
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder, divided
• 3/4 lb lean ground beef
• 3/4 lb dark meat ground chicken
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3-4 tbsp matzo meal or breadcrumbs (use matzo meal for Passover, or omit breadcrumbs to make gluten free)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne (or more to taste– add carefully, it’s very spicy!)

Directions

1. Drain your two cans of pineapple chunks and reserve the juice.
2. In a medium pot, mix together tomato sauce, ketchup, cider vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and the juice from the pineapple cans. Stir together and turn heat to low to let the sauce slowly warm.
3. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl use a fork to mix together the ground beef and chicken, egg, 3 tbsp matzo meal, paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne. I like a little heat in the meatballs, so I add a heaping 1/4 tsp of cayenne. If you don’t want them spicy, you can omit it completely– or just add a pinch for depth of flavor.
4. Form the meat mixture into small 1-inch meatballs. If the mixture seems too moist or stick, add another tablespoon of matzo meal to the mixture. Place the meatballs into the warming sauce.
5. When all the meatballs are formed, bring the mixture to a boil and stir to cover the meatballs with sauce. Lower the heat to a low, even simmer and cover the pot. 
6. Let the meatballs cook for 40 minutes, stirring frequently, till sauce thickens and meatballs cook all the way through. If the sauce seems to be reducing too fast or losing too much liquid, lower the heat and add a little water to thin it.
7. After 40 minutes, add the pineapple chunks to the sauce and stir to coat. Let the chunks warm in the sauce for 5 minutes.
8. Serve. You can serve this as an entree with a Passover-friendly starch, as a side dish, or with toothpicks as an appetizer. Enjoy!

NOTE: The amount of ingredients listed above is for 14 servings. To adjust the number of servings, click on the link above.

The flavors of blueberry and the spicy pepper notes of our 2017 Blaufränkisch help it pair well with the vinegar and tomato-based ingredients in the meatballs. It is a sweet and slightly spicy combination that your palate will love.

Come visit our tasting room to get all of your wine needs for your Passover celebrations. We are open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday. We will however, be closed on Sunday, April 17th for the Easter holiday.