Meatballs in Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

12 beef meatballs
1 tsp fennel seeds
200g cranberries
1 orange
3 tbsp Demerara sugar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
A handful of parsley

Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 30 mins

Buy the ingredients to start making your own

Add Ingredients To Basket

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5. Line a baking tray or roasting tin with baking paper and tumble the meatballs onto the paper. Slide into the oven and roast for 25 mins, turning halfway through, till browned and cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, tip the fennel seeds into a pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder. No pestle and mortar? Use a small bowl and the bottom of a jam jar or the end of a rolling pin to crush the seeds as finely as possible.

3. Rinse the cranberries then tip them into a deep frying pan. Pour in 100ml water. Finely grate in the zest from the orange and squeeze in the juice.

4. Add the crushed fennel seeds, Demerara sugar, mustard, Worcester sauce and red wine vinegar. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Pop a lid on the pan, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10-15 mins till the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened up a little. If the sauce seems too dry, add a splash more water.

5. Taste the cranberry sauce and add a pinch of salt and pepper or more sugar, if you think it needs it. Add the meatballs to the sauce and turn to coat them. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

6. These meatballs make a great meal for two served with mashed potatoes or rice and steamed greens. Or serve them as a warm party canapé with cocktail sticks.