These cranberry meatballs are particularly fun, in that they are sweet, sour, spicy, and savory all at once. Cheerful little flavor balls in a festive, candy-red cranberry glaze. Yum! I can say that because I made 6 batches working toward this final recipe, and I think I personally ate most of them. I’m using naturally lean and mild ground turkey which needs all the help it can get. So with these meatballs, I’ve herbed them up a bit with thyme and fennel seeds, and folded in some ricotta cheese and milk-soaked torn bread to help make them tender and soft (but still sturdy enough to pick up with a toothpick). The sauce is a cranberry glaze made with fresh or frozen cranberries, and spiced with orange zest, fresh ginger, and a little cayenne. Enjoy!
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 (12-ounce) bag fresh or frozen cranberries (no need to defrost)
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, to taste
For the meatballs
2 large slices white bread, crusts removed, bread torn into small pieces (approximately 1 cup, packed or 2 ounces of bread, can sub 1/2 cup of plain breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons milk
Generous 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 scant teaspoon fennel seeds
Flour for dusting, optional
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, or as needed
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing the cranberry mush against the strainer with the side of a rubber spatula. (Be sure to scrape the outside of the sieve with the spatula.) Add cayenne to taste. Gently mix with your (clean) hands until the ingredients are all incorporated. Don’t overwork the meatball mixture or the meatballs will become too dense. Note that the meatballs will probably be a bit on the wet side, which may cause some splattering as you cook them in the oil. To reduce that, you may want to sprinkle some flour on the meatballs, or roll them in flour, before they go in the pan. Add more oil to the pan as needed. If the glaze during this process is too thick, add a little water. If too thin, let simmer a little longer. Remove the meatballs to a serving dish. Pour over the remaining cranberry glaze.
