Recipe: Sicilian-Style Meatballs with Cocoa

Hello friends! Today I am making Sicilian-style meatballs with cocoa. These meatballs are delicious and spicy, but not so much that they will overwhelm the palate. They're also super easy to prepare and can be made ahead of time and frozen for later use. The meatballs freeze well. I'm going to make these in a small cast iron skillet because that's what I have handy right now. You can serve them over pasta or rice, or just eat them as is. My personal preference is to eat them with some apple sauce and crusty bread. The recipe for the quick apple sauce is also below. Enjoy!

For the Meatballs:

ground pork (I used about 1 lb.) or ground beef
creamy cheese, 2 tbsp
garlic, minced
black pepper, coarsely ground
salt, to taste
cocoa powder, 4 tsp
2 eggs, beaten
cilantro or parsley leaves, chopped
Tapenade, 4 tsp
olive or coconut oil, for frying (I used coconut oil)

To begin, you'll need to heat up your pan on medium high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

Meanwhile, mix together all of the ingredients for the meatballs except for the olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add a few spoonfuls of the mixture and cook until browned on one side.

Then flip the meatball and continue cooking until both sides are browned. Repeat this process until all of the meatballs are cooked through.

Transfer the meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off excess grease. When the meatballs are cool enough to handle, serve them in a bowl and top each serving with some apple sauce. Serve immediately.

Once the meatballs are done, it's time to make the apple sauce. This recipe makes enough for two servings.

For the Sauce:

2 apple
honey or maple syrup, to taste
water, 1/4 cup

In a small pot, bring water to a boil. Add apples and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can puree the apples in batches in a regular blender or food processor.

Return the apple sauce to the pot and add honey or maple syrup to taste. Season with salt. Cook over low heat for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Optionally, you can use brandy instead of water to flavor the apple sauce, but I prefer to leave it out. If you do decide to use brandy, I would recommend using 3 tbsp per 1/4 cup water.

Meatballs with cocoa often served as an appetizer or snack at parties and gatherings. The meatballs themselves are not spicy, but the cocoa adds a nice bit of warmth. For those who aren't fans of spicy foods, you can substitute the cocoa for cinnamon.

Enjoy!