I was blessed with parents who loved cooking. Times and ingredients change, as do preparation techniques. But family classics remain true. We published a trio of paperback cookbooks (also in digital formats) called Fifty Years of Fabulous Family Favorites. From more than 200 recipes included, here’s one of Mom’s gems.
Mom’s Hawaiian Meatballs
From: Glenna Burnham 1965
(Featured in Fifty Years of Fabulous Family Favorites, Volume 2.)
2/3 c evaporated milk
1 ½ lbs ground beef
½ c dry, minced onions
2/3 c cracker meal
1 tsp salt
1 can (14-oz) pineapple chunks, in juice
2 T cornstarch
¼ c vinegar
¼ c brown sugar
2 T soy sauce
1 large green pepper, coarsely chopped or diced
Combine milk, beef, onion, cracker meal & salt. From into tiny balls and brown well until almost done.
Drain off fat. Drain pineapple juice into large measuring cup & add water to make 1 cup liquid. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, vinegar, brown sugar, & soy. Add to pineapple juice and pour over meatballs. Simmer for 15 minutes; then add the pineapple chunks and diced sweet pepper. Heat thoroughly and serve over white or brown rice. Makes 6-8 servings.
KISS Notes & Variations: This is awesome served over fried rice, like the one in Fifty Years of Fabulous Family Favorites, Volume 3. Also, with some people sensitive to green pepper, use a sweet red bell pepper instead. I have also substituted whole milk or half-and-half for evaporated milk… and finely chopped sweet onion, microwaved 1 minute, for the dry, minced onion. I also like to add a little finely chopped flat-leaf parsley to the meatballs.
Try a nice garnish of thinly sliced snow peas or thinly sliced green onion and/or a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
For Super Simple Hawaiian Meatball Tapas, thread meatballs, fresh pineapple chunks, and your choice of bell pepper chunks on mini bamboo skewers… brush with sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
For Hawaiian Meatball Dinner Kabobs, add some slices of red or sweet onion to long skewers before grilling.
