I am of the mindset that chimichurri makes everything taste better! Seriously. Who doesn't love that herby, tangy condiment from Argentina that is equally complimentary to meat as it is to veggies?
These chimichurri meatballs used ground pork and with pork sausage and were the perfect addition to my Wine & Fine Swine birthday dinner party. They are easy to make, yet impressive. I braised them in beef broth, but you can also bake them in the oven. And - even better for me this month - they are Whole30 compliant.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground pork sausage (I used an Italian-spiced sausage)
- 1/2 C ground almonds
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
- 2 T fresh parsley, minced
- 1 t fresh oregano, minced
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- zest from 1 organic lemon
- freshly ground salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 C beef broth
Chimichurri
- 1 C fresh parsley
- 1/2 to 3/4 C olive oil
- 1/4 C vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar, but I have used red wine vinegar in the past)
- 1 T fresh oregano, minced
- 2 T fresh cilantro
- 1/2 t red pepper flakes
- 1 to 2 T lemon juice
- freshly ground salt
- freshly ground pepper
Procedure
In a large mixing bowl, all of the ingredients up to the egg. Mix to combine, then form mixture into meatballs. I use about 1 T per meatball. But feel free to make them any size you like.
In a large skillet, let the olive oil. Add the meatballs and sear them on all sides until they are nicely browned, but still soft when you press on them, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the beef broth and bring to a boil. Let the meatballs braise until they are firm to the touch, approximately 15 minutes.
While the meatballs braise, make your chimichurri. Place all of the ingredient in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until desired texture. If it's too thick, add more oil and more vinegar. If it's too think, add more herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
While the meatballs braise, make your chimichurri. Place all of the ingredient in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until desired texture. If it's too thick, add more oil and more vinegar. If it's too think, add more herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
*I am linking this up to Sid Sea Palm Cooking's First Monday Link-up. View that here.*
Thanks for linking this to First Monday Favorites. What a great looking recipe. My sister gave me some dried Chimichurri seasoning for Christmas and I've been having fun with it, adding it to various dishes. I think I need to try making some from scratch as well.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds delicious, and I happen to have all of the chimichurri ingredients! I've never tried it, and now I must!
ReplyDeleteWow! Chimichurri certainly does make things better and I bet these meatballs are so tasty!
ReplyDeleteI can pretty much anything slathered in chimichurri...anything but liver and lima beans...that would just be a waste of chimichurri!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a perfectly flavorful plate of food. I like using sausage in my meatballs too, bonus flavors packed in there!
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