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As I mentioned previously, I am in the process of going through an old family cookbook. As I resurrect recipes from the late 1970s, I'm occasionally finding myself having to deal with serious contradictions. For example, my Aunt Evie's recipe for instant sweet-and-sour meatballs is simplicity itself: It calls for a pound of ground beef, an egg, a jar of grape jelly and a bottle of chili sauce. To make it, one combines the beef and egg, makes meatballs out of the mix and cooks the meatballs in a combination of jelly and chili sauce.(As a side note, the chili sauce in this recipe actually has nothing to do with capsicum. It refers to a slightly spicier ketchup that was popular in the seventies.)
Admittedly, the combination of jelly and beef is a little frightening, but it is also oddly compelling, particularly for those of us who grew up watching the "Brady Bunch." Unfortunately, both jelly and chili sauce are usually made with my nemesis, HFCS.
With a little research, however, I found a chili sauce recipe on the net and an organic grape jelly. Although I have to admit that I was a little nervous about the recipe, I was surprised to find that it had promise, although the meatballs were underseasoned and the sauce was WAY too sweet.
For this modified version, I used turkey burger, which was much leaner than the ground chuck that the recipe originally used. To play up the fruitiness, I added lemon zest, lemon juice, and chutney. For the sauce, I cut way back on the jelly, although I still kept a little bit in. This, by the way, was not merely for nostalgia sake: the jelly actually adds a bit of sweet complexity to the recipe.
The final product is tasty, has a fun seventies kick, and is surprisingly light. Unfortunately, I have sort of missed the original intention of the recipe: this one is much more flavorful, but takes a lot longer to make. At any rate, while I imagine that few people will try this one out, I think those of you who do will probably have a lot of fun. Let me know what you think!
Seventies Style Sweet and Sour Meatballs
2 cups tomato sauce (I used Contadina)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp organic grape jelly
20 ounces ground turkey (for some reason, I can only find turkey in a 1.25 pound package)
4 tbsp green tomato chutney, chopped (mine was homemade, from a recipe like this one)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp salt
Combine tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and jelly in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
While the sauce is cooking, mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Form into meatballs, approximately 1" in diameter. Simmer the meatballs in the sauce until cooked through; this should take approximately 20-25 minutes. Serve in sauce with rice on the side, or insert toothpicks in the meatballs and lay out as a finger food.
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3-18-2009 @11:19AM kgb1001001 said... There's a confusion in the recipe -- is that 2 Tbsp or 2 cups of grape jelly?
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3-18-2009 @11:21AM Bruce Watson said... It's 2 tablespoons. Thanks for catching that--I totally missed it!
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3-18-2009 @11:37AM curiousdomestic said... The first time I ever made S&S meatballs, I used a very similar recipe (beef, egg, crumbs, jelly, and bbq sauce). Very tasty in spite of itself, and I still make it sometimes.
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3-18-2009 @3:40PM Ryan said... If you want an even more lo-fi version of this, all you do is take one jar of grape jelly, and one container of yellow mustard (each about the same size) and mix them together. I know it sounds gross, but you get a sweet and sour sauce that no one would ever guess had only two ingredients...
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3-18-2009 @1:09PM NancyB said... And is it 1-1/2 tsp cumin or 1/2 tsp cumin?
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3-18-2009 @1:14PM Bruce Watson said... Nancy-
1 1/2 tsp cumin. Thanks for drawing my attention to it. Embarrassingly enough, I looked over this three times before I caught what you were talking about. It was a problem with my transcription--I added one tsp, then later added another 1/2 tsp. When I compiled the final recipe, I added the two together, but still included the subsequent notation.
At any rate, I've fixed it. Thank you so much for catching my mistake!
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3-18-2009 @5:46PM SaraFist said... I made S&S meatballs for my Christmas party this year, and everyone raved about them. I do the simple method, one jar chili sauce and 1 jar jelly (the variety of jelly remains a secret, however). My little sister went ape when I told her I couldn't give her the recipe because it was a "family secret." I did eventually tell her what it was, and she was amazed. Seriously, the basic recipe isn't bad. The secret is having good meatballs; I prefer to cook my meatballs in the oven, then add them to the sauce.
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3-18-2009 @10:39PM Amber said... In my family, we make cocktail weenies with a small jar of grape jelly and a jar of chili sauce. The easiest method is to dump everything in a crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or until the weenies have plumped up and absorbed as much of the sauce as you want. I prefer them after they have cooked for several hours and are really infused. Yummy!
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3-19-2009 @9:26AM Charming said... As odd as this may sound I actually make my meatloaf very similar to this. Here's a quick version:
1lb G.Beef, 1lb G.Sausage, 1 box StoveTop Stuffing Mix, 4 Eggs, 1/2 cup chunky salsa. Mix items through, form into 2 loaves. Bake at 375 until done (30-40 minutes)
Glaze with mixture of 1 cup Honey BBQ sauce, 1/2cup Grape Jelly, 1/2cup salsa., Bake another 5 minutes.
Everyone I serve this to is very wary about it, but after trying it, raves about it and demands my recipe. Try it, it's oddly delicious!
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3-19-2009 @1:42PM Josh said... This one is always a big hit at work potlucks or family get togethers.. and super simple too. You can fuss with making your meatballs however you like, but those frozen balls from the grocery store work just as well. I find 16oz grape jelly, 12oz chili sauce, and a few pounds of frozen meatballs work great.. throw it in the crock pot for a few hours and you're done. Everyone is confused, suprised, and initially doubtful when told about the recipe.. lol
Also, you can use pretty much any kind of jelly you want.. Apricot is a good one too.
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3-21-2009 @6:36PM Fash said... Pineapple jelly and chili sauce is the best. You can even add some canned pineapple chunks with the meatballs if you feel like getting crazy.
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3-25-2009 @1:24PM tazebell said... I have to agree with the jar of chili sauce/jar of berry jelly for small weiners or meatballs. They need to cook low and long, and *smack* - so very tasty.
I have to ask though: I saw an earlier post where Bruce Watson referred to southwest Virginia and moonshine. I would love to know the story behind that, as I have returned to my native digs in in that very area (although I am staying away from the moonshine, for now at least!)
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3-25-2009 @1:38PM Bruce Watson said... Tazebell, eh? Any relation to Tazewell?
I lived in Montgomery County for almost twenty years in the 1990's and 2000's. For a while I was friends with one of the most useful people in the world: a research chemist who knew moonshiners. This meant that he was able to get shine, test it for impurities, and pass it on to your friendly neighborhood foodie, who used it to make liqueurs.
Later, we lost touch, and I ended up taking trips to West Virginia for Everclear. Not nearly as much fun, and driving along with a trunkload full of denatured alcohol is a little unsettling!
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