Pomegranate Molasses and Honey glazed Meatballs

These meatballs are soft, tender and so flavourful, but what really brings them to life and sets them apart from other meatball recipes is the use of pomegranate molasses. Pomegranate molasses is a syrup of boiled pomegranate juice, and has a fruity sweetness that's countered by a lovely, sharp tart flavour. It's most commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine and often used to enhance savoury dishes, esp. red meat and game, with fruity flavours.

500 g Ground meat (I used a mixture of lamb and beef)
1 Shallot, finely minced
30 g Cilantro or flat parsley, finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tsp Dried oregano
2 tsp Ground cumin
2 tsp Ground coriander
1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
1 tsp Fine sea salt

4 tbsp Pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp Honey
1 Garlic clove, minced
Pomegranate seeds for garnishing
Cilantro for garnishing

Put all the meatball ingredients, except the pomegranate seeds and cilantro, into a large mixing bowl and, using your hands, work them together really well, pounding the meat mixture for several minutes into a smooth paste.
Shape the mixture into 16 pingpong-sized meatballs. Place half of the meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer. Cook the meatballs at 180C/350F for 10-12 minutes until browned all over and cooked through. (or heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add a drizzle of olive oil and fry the meatballs in batches for 10-12 minutes until browned all over and cooked through.)
Add the pomegranate molasses, honey and garlic to a pan and stir to mix. Return the meatballs to the pan and turn them in the glaze until well coated. Cook until the glaze has reduced to a sticky coating, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds and chopped cilantro over and serve immediately.

35 comments:

DEZMOND 27/12/22 21:05: Those little brown forks are very cute!
DeniseinVA 27/12/22 21:07: Looks delicious, thank you Angie and Happy New Year!
Tom 27/12/22 22:23: ...a festive treat for New Years Eve.
kathyinozarks 27/12/22 23:24: Hi Angie recipe sounds delicious. Bobby Flay on Food Network uses this molasses in allot of different recipes-I should look for that and try it
Brian's Home Blog 28/12/22 00:03: I bet those flavors are amazing!
My name is Erika. 28/12/22 00:14: I'm hungry right now and these look so good...thanks for sharing. These would be fun for New Years. hugs-Erika
Christine 28/12/22 01:08: Looks good
J.P. Alexander 28/12/22 01:26: Gracias por la receta, te mando un beso.
Bill 28/12/22 01:41: Looks amazing and delicious.
Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake 28/12/22 02:11: Perfect for a New Year's Eve celebration! I love a sweet glaze on meatballs and these look fabulous!!!
Rose world 28/12/22 03:02: I love beef and lamb meat balls. Great dish for the festive season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Anonymous 28/12/22 04:10: Very interesting flavors in the meatballs. They look delicious and the presentation is wonderful as usual! Eating them with skewers seems practical.
gluten Free A_Z Blog 28/12/22 04:11: @Anonymous It's judee leaving the previous comment...
Eha 28/12/22 06:08: Wow ! Having been born in the Baltics Scandinavian-style meatballs are naturally a given and I have gone Italian- American often enough but just love both the molasses and the underlying almost South American spice profile ! Shall try and tell friends to do so also . . .
Cooking Julia 28/12/22 09:35: I sometimes use this syrup and I love its flavor in the food!
Vicki Bensinger 28/12/22 11:37: This looks beautiful Angie. I love pomegranate molasses it does add such a wonderful flavor to dishes. I look forward to trying this.
Marcepanowy Kącik 28/12/22 12:20: To coś dla mnie. Zapisuję sobie przepis i pozdrawiam serdecznie.
Fran@G'day Souffle 28/12/22 12:27: I've used pomegranate molasses before with slow-cooked shredded duck- really picks up the flavor! I'm a bit confused- you mention quinces and lentils in the directions but they are not listed in the ingredients!
Javier 28/12/22 13:11: These meatballs looks delicious, like all your recipes!

I wish you happy new year! All the best!
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine 28/12/22 13:13: packed with flavor wow I love all the spices you used. I make mine with cranberry will try this version sounds very tasty!
Angie's Recipes 28/12/22 13:20: @Fran@G'day Souffle Sorry, Fran, I must have copied my recipes to the blog wrongly. Thanks for the headsup!
Nancy Chan 28/12/22 13:41: Looks good and delicious. Great recipe.
Chef Mimi 28/12/22 13:48: Wow. These sound wonderful! And they’re really pretty!
Anonymous 28/12/22 14:26: Hi Angie, the pomegranate bring this appetizer up several notches, Bernadette
thepaintedapron.com 28/12/22 14:57: These sound really good!
Grace 28/12/22 18:00: Pura fineza y exquisitez!
Gracias Angie!!
ashok 28/12/22 18:09: Iam sure I'll love it
Anne in the kitchen 28/12/22 19:47: This sounds fantastic!
roentare 28/12/22 21:13: That would be so heartwarming to have in a cold winter night
Marissa 29/12/22 01:43: Loving that sticky glaze, the warm spices and that you used a blend of lamb and beef. These meatballs look completely irresistible, Angie!
Rainbow Evening 29/12/22 13:54: love pomegranate ... I'll try to mix with meatball...
Thank you for sharing your recipe
Valentina 30/12/22 00:40: Sounds like the perfect combination. Yum! :-) ~Valentina
The Yum List 3/1/23 01:55: Give me pomegranate in anything and I'm happy.
Raymund 3/1/23 23:14: Definitely its the glaze that makes his dish stand out
tigerfish 4/1/23 16:54: The well-balanced flavors and festive colors made them perfect holiday season meatballs!