German Meatballs in Creamy Caper Sauce
IngredientsMeatballs
1 lb ground sirloin
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground veal
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1⁄4 cups fine plain breadcrumbs (I use Progresso plain breadcrumbs, grandmother used a ground up hard roll)
1⁄2 cup milk
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 lemon, zest of, small finely chopped
1 lemon, juice of
3 tablespoons capers, chopped
3 tablespoons anchovy paste (alternatively you may use sardines or herring) or 3 tablespoons crushed anchovy fillets (alternatively you may use sardines or herring)
1⁄4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
flour (for rolling)
Broth
1 (32 ounce) box chicken stock or 1 (32 ounce) box vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1⁄4 cup cider vinegar
1⁄2 cup good quality dry white wine (I use fume blanc or extra dry champagne)
10 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons capers
Sauce
1 lemon, zest of, small finely chopped
1 lemon, juice of
1 cup good quality sour cream (full fat to prevent curdling)
1⁄4 cup snipped fresh parsley, for garnish
Directions
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven such as Le Creuset, heat broth ingredients (stock, bay leaf, cider vinegar, white wine, peppercorns, and 2 tablespoons capers) to a simmer over medium heat.
Meanwhile, combine meatball ingredients, mix well.
Form meat mixture into golf-ball sized balls (note: mixture will be a bit sticky and delicate to work with, but this is normal, and the result will be a moist and tender meatball!). Roll them in flour, and carefully place into hot broth; simmer each batch for 15 minutes, but do not boil. (Tip: do not crowd meatballs, ie only simmer about 10-12 meatballs at a time). Note that the broth will thicken as you add the flour covered meatballs, which will make a nice sauce.
Carefully remove meatballs from the hot broth with a slotted spoon, and keep them warm in a covered bowl stored in the oven while making the sauce.
Discard bay leaf.
To Make Cream Sauce:
To hot broth stir in the sauce ingredients and heat through, but do not boil.
Add the cooked meatballs to the heated sauce, stir gently and warm through.
To Serve:
Serve Meatballs and Cream Sauce with baked potato or hot buttered spaetzle noodles
$22.32
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