Baked Turkey Meatballs in a Berry BBQ Sauce

Welcome to the first post this New Year. I'm not much into making resolutions, but I make plans/goals (well a somber resolution I guess ;-) ). Just few small plans of what I should achieve or what my family should achieve in the new year and generally try to achieve atleast those goals. I love a fresh start to anything and like to consider the New Year as a perfect way to make yourself believe in starting afresh to several things that you slept over in the previous year.

Well, last year I had shared a quick and simple recipe for baked Turkey meatballs. I find them so easy to make and so versatile that it can be transformed into an appetizer or entree as required. I have used them in soups, spicy masala gravy dishes and also transformed them into a bunch of appetizer dishes.

One of our favorite was this Berry BBQ sauce that I made to coat the meatballs with. It was fruity, spicy, sweet yet tart, in all it was a fusion of all kinds of flavors. I actually made the Berry BBQ sauce using some leftover homemade Mixed Berry compote....yes, fruit compote which I used for some cupcakes :-) 

I love fusion flavors like Mango chicken, Orange chicken etc...so that's how this idea came to my mind to convert the mixed berry compote into a bbq sauce.

I made this once to take to a friends place for a casual get-together and she came back asking for the recipe and wanted me to quickly share it on the blog. I wasn't sure if I would get it on the blog so fast, so I gave her the recipe and she promptly tried it and gave a full thumbs up on the recipe.
I again took these for a Thanksgiving potluck and there too everyone raved about the taste and wanted to know how it was made :)

The inspiration for the BBQ berry sauce is Asha's recipe and I spiced it up a bit based on our tastes and availability of ingredients and added some herbs for bit more flavor. It's a very adaptable recipe and I can't wait to try out more varities with it.

Baked Turkey Meatballs in Berry BBQ Sauce

Makes: 35-40 meatballs

You’ll Need

For Turkey Meatballs

1 Lb Ground Turkey

¼ cup Breadcrumbs 

¼ cup grated/powdered Parmesan cheese 

½ cup chopped Red Onions

1 clove minced Garlic

1 large Egg

½ cup chopped Cilantro leaves

1 Tblsp Mint leaves

2 tsp crushed Black Pepper

¼ tsp Salt

For Berry BBQ Sauce

1 cup Mixed Berry Compote (Grinded to a puree) **

1 Tblsp Canola/Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1 Red Onion finely diced

2 Tblsp Minced Ginger

2-3 tsp Garam Masala

4 Green chillies thinly sliced / 2 tsp Red Chilli powder

4 Tblsp Lime juice/Lemon juice

4 Tblsp White Vinegar

2 Tblsp Molasses / Jaggery

2 Tblsp Worcestershire Sauce/Soy Sauce

Corriander Leaves / Mint Leaves as needed for Garnish

Directions

For Baked Turkey Meatballs

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with hands until properly incorporated.

3. Use a melon baller to scoop out equal sized balls and place them on a baking sheet covered with wax/parchment paper. This makes about 35-40 mini meatballs. Use an icecream scoop or Tablespoon for bigger meatballs.

4. Bake in oven for 13-15 mins.  (Do not over-bake). Let the meatballs cool on a wire rack.

For Berry BBQ Sauce

1. Heat Oil in a saucepan.  Add the fennel, seeds cumin seeds, red onion, green chillies and saute well.

2. Add all the other ingredients and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes or until it is almost reduced to half it’s original quantity.

Finally, combine around 15-20 of the baked turkey meatballs into the Berry Bqq sauce and simmer for 5 mins on low heat. Turn off the heat. Garnish with chopped coriander or Mint leaves.

Note: You may have to double the recipe for the bbq sauce for coating the whole batch of baked meatballs.

** Mixed Berry Compote:

Add 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 3-4 Tblsp  Sugar and 1 TBlsp Lemon Juice in a pan and cook until the sugar melts and the compote thickens. Use 2-3 tsp cornstarch to thicken the compote if needed. Let it cool completely and use as needed.

-Manju