Appetizer #12 - Sweet-Sour Surprise Meatballs

 The Year of Appetizers

Appetizer #12 - Sweet-Sour Surprise Meatballs

    This recipe is based on a recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book published in 1969. I am also leaving out the 1/2 tsp of MSG called for in the original recipe. I made these meatballs for a church potluck and while I enjoyed the sauce, I wished I had used a better quality meatball. The recipe says you can use 1/2 pound tiny cooked mini meatballs, 1/2 pound cooked shrimp and 1/2 pound chicken livers (I'm not a liver fan, so "No, thank you"). I have a shellfish allergy and as I just mentioned, I won't eat liver, so I used all meatballs.  I used a zero-sugar pineapple juice drink for the pineapple juice, to lower the sugar and it worked well; you would have even more pineapple flavor if you used juice from canned pineapple. I feel this would work well also with chunks of cooked chicken. I had to cook these the night before my church potluck and even though I heated before serving, the sauce looked "chunky", not smooth as it was fresh. I would recommend cooking and serving these right away. Keep warm in a chafing dish or crock-pot if not served right away.

Ingredients:

2 tbsps cornstarch

2 tbsps sugar

1 chicken bouillon cube or equivalent of bouillon powder (1 1/2 tsps)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vinegar

1 cup pineapple juice or zero-calorie pineapple juice drink

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp butter or margarine

1 1/2 lbs cooked shrimp (shelled), beef liver, mini meatballs, pork or chicken (If using liver, pork or chicken, cut into small chunks)

Directions:

Combine cornstarch, bouillon cube/powder and sugar in a sauce pan. Stir in water, vinegar, pineapple juice, soy sauce and butter. Cook until mixture boils, stirring constantly. Cover and simmer on low for five minutes. Your mixture will have thickened up. Stir in your cooked protein (shrimp, liver, pork, chicken) and heat through before serving.  Pour into a serving dish and serve hot. You could also keep warm and serve in a crockpot (on low). You could serve this over rice as an entree.

Sweet-Sour Surprise Meatballs