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Grilled honey mustard meatballs


I feel like for a while there people were getting a little over-excited about fancy food. It was as though good food was defined by its use of unusual ingredients or level of preparation difficulty. Cooking at home no longer required simple pans and wholesome ingredients, it required expensive new gadgets and a dictionary. All that made for entertaining television, but at home in the family kitchen it made for impossible ideals. 

I think we're moving away from that now. I think there's a return to simplicity in our appetites and in our home kitchens. We're craving fresh food that is seasoned and cooked well. Sometimes that means we're willing to spend a few hours braising something slowly on a Sunday afternoon, and sometimes we want to get a fresh and delicious meal on the table quickly on a weeknight. That's what this seven-ingredient recipe is about for me. Quick and flavourful meatballs cooked on a hot grill, then drenched in a tangy honey mustard sauce. It's good, honest food that anyone can make, and it's that simplicity that makes it the sort of food that I think is truly worth getting excited about.


Here's how I made it:
makes 16-18 meatballs

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3 spring onions, chopped
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup liquid honey
1/3 cup prepared yellow mustard

I combined the beef, two thirds of the spring onions (setting aside one third for garnish), bread crumbs, egg and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using my hands, I mixed the meatball mixture until well combined, then rolled into two-inch meatballs. On a preheated, greased grill on high heat, I cooked the meatballs 5-6 minutes, then rotated them once, cooking another 5-6 minutes until fully cooked through. Meanwhile, the honey and mustard were stirred together in a small saucepan and brought to a bubble over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. To serve, the meatballs were placed in a serving dish and the sauce was poured over top. The reserved spring onion was sprinkled on as a garnish.


I'm on a bit of a grilling kick lately, so watch for new recipes and photos with grill marks from me this summer. Nothing too complicated though. Just simple, good food.

How important is simplicity in your kitchen? What is the simplest dinner dish you make?