Mini hot honey meatballs
A very delicious and Italian inspired meatball with hints of chilli and honey to present a Hot Honey Meatball with Hot Honey sauce. It’s very fun with tons of parmesan over the top and pretty pink rainbow chard stems on the base.
Ingredients:
Hot honey mini meatballs:
500g ground pork and beef mince (blend)
1 egg
2 tsp honey
3/4 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan, for garnish
Hot honey sauce:
2-3 cloves of garlic, grated
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
2 x 400g tins of finely chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Sauteed rainbow chard:
1 bunch of rainbow chard, stems sliced into batons
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
pinch of flakey salt
Method:
Make the meatballs: to a mixing bowl, add ground pork/beef mince, egg, honey, salt, pepper, oregano, onion powder and chilli flakes. Mix gently until it’s combined. Roll into mini meatballs, using about 1-2 tsp of meatball mix.
Sear the meatballs: grab a dutch oven or a cast iron skillet and bring to medium heat. Once it’s hot, add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Add the meatballs one at a time, keeping some distance between them. Sear on this side for 3-5 mins, or until a golden crust forms. Flip and turn down the heat to medium-low, then sear on the other side until the golden sear develops. If they need to cook through more, just sear on their sides. Remove from the pan, leaving the heat on.
Make the sauce: add garlic and chilli flakes directly to the pan in which we just cooked the meatballs, with the heat still on medium-low. Saute for 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic is lightly toasted, then pour in the tinned tomatoes. Add honey, salt and pepper. Mix gently and leave to cook down for 10 minutes. Once slightly reduced, turn off the heat.
Saute the rainbow chard: add batons to a clean pan with olive oil over medium-high heat and saute for 3-5 minutes, or until softened and lightly charred.
Assemble: place rainbow chard stems down along the base of a pretty plate, then stack meatballs on top. Spoon over the hot honey sauce and grate parmesan over the top. Dig in!
