Sweet And Sour Pork Meatballs

Sweet And Sour Pork Meatballs
Serve As A Meal Or An Appetizer!
Difficulty: Moderate

Meatballs
Ingredients
1 1/4 lb. ground pork
1/4 lb. fresh shitake mushroom
1/2 red onion chopped
2 tsp garlic pressed
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp black or white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp canola oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 420 Degrees F.  In a large skillet, add 2 tbsp of canola oil and shitake mushrooms, chopped red onion.  Cook for 6-8 on medium heat until the mushrooms and onions are sweated down.  Cool completely and put into a food processor and pulse until finely minced.  In a large mixing bowl, add ground pork, cooked and minced shitake mushrooms and onions, garlic, ginger, panko, egg, black pepper, salt and sesame oil.  Use your hands to mix.  you will need to mix for at least 5 minutes.  This will be one of the rare times that over mixing is a good thing!  Shape into golf ball size meatballs and place on a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes.  Take out of pan and place meatballs into the Sweet and Sour mixture (recipe below) and finish cooking the meatballs in the sauce for an additional 20-25 minutes on a low simmer with lid on
Serve over Hot rice or as appetizers.
Serves 4

Sweet And Sour
Ingredients
Cooked hot rice, serving for 4
1 tbsp oil, or butter
1 cup water
2 cups carrots, peeled and cut on diagonal
1/2 large red onion, quartered
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups, canned large chunk pineapples, reserve liquid
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed  
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar  
1 tsp lemon juice  
1 cup ketchup  
2 tbsp soy sauce
3/4 cup, reserved pineapple liquid
1 heaping tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider

Directions
In a wok or a large deep frying pan with lid on medium heat; add oil and sauté carrots, onions, red and green peppers for a few minutes.  Add water and place lid and allow the vegetables to steam for 3-4 minutes, when water evaporates, add rest of the ingredients except cornstarch and apple juice.  Mix thoroughly, bring up to a slight boil.  Mix in a small bowl, cornstarch and apple juice to create a slurry.  Drizzle the slurry into the sweet and sour mixture until it start to thicken, then lower temperature before placing meatballs into the sauce.