Gingery Pork Meatballs with Peaches Basil and Lime
Gingery skillet fried ground pork meatballs are seasoned with basil, lime and served with fresh juicy peaches. A sweet and savory treat with addictive flavors. Serve this over crisp greens for a light Summery supper.
1poundGround porkor turkey, or chicken, or vegan meat
⅓cupPanko bread crumbsor plain bread crumbs
3TablespoonsFresh basilfine chopped, plus more for serving.
2TablespoonsExtra Virgin Olive Oil
2TablespoonsWinedry white, rose or red (or chicken broth, orange juice or water)
2CupsFresh ripe peachesdiced, peeled or unpeeled. About 3 peaches.
¼cuponion or shallotthin sliced
1limehalves
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together ginger, garlic, cumin and salt.
Add ground pork, panko and basil. Using your hands, gently mix everything together, making sure not to overwork the mixture. (Otherwise, the meatballs get tough.) Form into 1¼-inch meatballs.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the oil. Once oil is shimmering, add meatballs. Cook, turning and shaking the pan, until meatballs are browned all over, 5 to 7 minutes.
Pour the wine into the skillet and move meatballs over to one side of the pan, scraping up the browned bits. Add peaches, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons water to the empty side of pan.
Once peaches come to a simmer, cover the pan and lower the heat to medium.Let cook until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center, and the peaches juicy and tender, about 5 to 10 minutes longer.
Uncover the pan. If the mixture seems too runny, let it cook down for another minute or so. The peaches should break down into a chunky sauce. Hard or unripe peaches may take a few extra minutes.
Add the onions to the pan and mix them in so they wilt slightly. Squeeze lime juice all over everything, then taste and add salt and lime juice, as needed. Sweeter peaches will need more lime juice, tart ones, less.
Serve the meatballs garnished with torn basil leaves, over fresh greens.
Notes
Tips For Success
Use ripe soft fresh peaches. They'll cook quickly and their sweet flavor is a great combination for savory pork and basil.
How To Make A Perfect Meatball: And one that doesn't fall apart. Use the palms of your hands to roll the meatball into a smooth ball. I always count to twenty rolls.