Hawaiian Meatballs

There's something about peppers and pineapple. Not sure what it is, but it could be called "synergy." Now I know that word was officially deleted off the word rolls several years ago by the word connoisseurs. It was overused and under-explained. Much of the time it was a term used in business about two entities that could work together in perfect harmony, particularly in the case of a merger or acquisition.  Ahem. Sorry, that's my business background rearing it's ugly head!

Now the grand definition of "synergy" (according to Wikipedia) is: "Two or more agents working together to produce a result not obtainable by any of the agents independently."

Okay, that pretty much said it. I love pineapple and I love peppers by themselves, but I adore them together and in this dish they are paired to perfection! Plus there's a little sweet and a little sour in a blend that will surely wake up your taste buds.

Now this dish is called Hawaiian Meatballs and it seems that using canned pineapple for a Hawaiian dish sort of flies in the face of a tropical paradise; but in spite of this shortcoming, this one's a keeper and I'm sure you'll agree.

Hawaiian Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 lb. ground chuck or hamburger

1 egg

½ cup crackers, crushed

1 onion, finely chopped

¼ cup barbecue sauce

¼ tsp garlic powder or ½ tsp garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced

1 can (20 oz) can pineapple chunks (reserve ½ cup reserved juice for sauce)

Sauce:

½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/ tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce

½ cup reserved pineapple juice

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix together the hamburger, egg, crackers, onion, barbecue sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Form into meatballs and place on cookie sheet. Cook for 10 minutes. Do not cook all the way through. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

 

Meanwhile whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce and reserved pineapple juice. Cook over medium heat until bubbly and mixture begins to thicken. Lower heat and simmer slowly.

Put partially cooked meatballs and pineapple chunks into 9x13 inch Pyrex dish. Lay slices of onion and green pepper on top and pour sauce over all, thoroughly coating meatballs. 

Cook for 30 minutes at 350F. Serve over jasmine rice.