Authentic boulets liégeois, simmered in a sweet and sour sauce made with Liège syrup and gingerbread. A comforting Belgian classic.
Ingredients
- 300 g ground pork and veal blend
- 50 g stale white bread
- 100 ml whole milk
- 1 piece egg
- 1 piece onion
- 10 g fresh parsley
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- to taste fine salt
- to taste ground black pepper
- 30 g fine breadcrumbs
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 2 pieces onions (for the sauce)
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 150 g Liège syrup (apple and pear syrup)
- 50 g gingerbread (without chocolate)
- 200 ml beef broth
- 30 g raisins
Method
- Soak the stale bread in the warm milk for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze gently.
- Finely mince the onion for the meatballs. Chop the parsley.
- In a bowl, combine the ground meat, minced onion, parsley, egg, drained bread, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix well until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Form balls the size of a large walnut (about 4 to 6 meatballs). Roll them in the breadcrumbs, then flatten them slightly.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides, turning them carefully. Remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the sliced onions for the sauce. Sweat for 5 minutes over low heat until translucent.
- Add the apple cider vinegar and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Liège syrup, crumbled gingerbread, broth, and raisins. Stir until the sauce is smooth.
- Return the meatballs to the sauce. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 30 minutes, turning the meatballs halfway through cooking.
- Serve hot, accompanied by Belgian fries or mashed potatoes. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 1003.1 kcal
- Protein
- 42.79 g
- Carbohydrate
- 103.23 g
- Fat
- 46.16 g
- Fibre
- 4.01 g
- Calcium
- 144.34 mg
- Iron
- 1.67 mg
- Magnesium
- 52.21 mg
