You will adore these lush Belgian meatballs with sour cherries! This is an example of great classic Belgian cuisine. Sweet, sour and savory flavors all in one dish…
Did you know that meatballs and sour cherries go so well together?
Oh hey, my Belgian recipes chapter is growing day by day!
I have made quite a few Belgian classics in the past. And I have not even scratched the surface. I was not really aware that there are so many traditional dishes though!
Traditional
Belgian meatballs with sour cherries.
That is yet another dish that you should not miss out on when you are visiting Belgium because it is so good.
However I have to be honest with you: it is a rather old-fashioned meatball recipe, one that is pretty hard to find on a restaurant menu nowadays.
If not impossible.
I think I have only seen it twice before on a menu really.
Easy Belgian Meatballs with Sour Cherries
And because of that, here is how to prepare this wonderful dish at home!
I can tell right now that you are so in for a real treat today.
No worries, it is a very easy meal to make.
I always make my own meatballs from scratch.
They are so much more flavorful I think but you can skip those steps and use ready made meatballs. I normally use a mixture of beef and pork mince for my meatballs.
Lamb meatballs with sour cherries also sound great to me!
Sour Cherries
In fact, you can also serve this sour cherry sauce with roast lamb by the way.
Can you find canned sour cherries in your local supermarket?
I do not often cook with them. But it’s a great ingredient that is perfect in savory dishes like these meatballs. I have also used them before in a dessert!
Check it out.
Do you like this simple Belgian meatball dish?
Then you should also check out another Belgian meatball classic: meatballs in creamy celery sauce!
Enjoy!
Easy Belgian Meatballs with Sour Cherries Recipe
Belgian meatballs with sour cherries: this is an example of classic Belgian cuisine! Sweet, sour and savory all in one dish...
- 12,5 oz meat mince (350 g)
- 1 tbsp breadcrumbs or panko
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese grated
- 2 small garlic cloves chopped
- 1 small egg yolk
- 1 small shallot chopped
- 2 stalks fresh celery chopped
- 9 oz canned sour cherries and juice (250 g)
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 bay leaves
- pepper
- salt
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Add the chopped shallot, the bay leaves and half of the garlic to a saucepan.
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Add a teaspoon of butter. Place this over medium heat and fry the shallot and garlic for 8 minutes until soft and golden. Then season with a pinch of pepper and salt.
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Then take the pan off then eat and let this mixture cool. Transfer the mince to a mixing bowl. Add the cooled onion (remove the bay leaves) and egg yolk.
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Stir and add the breadcrumbs (or panko) and grated parmesan. Season with some pepper and salt.
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Stir well again. Check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste. Then roll even balls from the mixture. Mine were 1 oz (30 g). I had 16 meatballs in the end. Melt half of the remaining butter in a non-stick pan and add the meatballs.
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Place the pan over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides for 4 minutes until golden. Then cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat lower and let the meatballs cook for 10 minutes until cooked through.
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Shake the pan regularly. Add extra butter or olive oil if necessary. 5 minutes before the meatballs are done, pour the sour cherries and their juice in a medium saucepan and place it over medium heat.
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Pour 5 tablespoons of cherry juice in a cup and add the cornstarch.
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Stir well. Once the cherries in the pan are warm, add the starch mixture.
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Keep stirring until the sauce starts to thick. Scoop the meatballs onto deep plates. Drizzle with the cherrie sauce. Serve hot.
Yum! I love sour cherries. The bay leaf would be a good addition!