Sous Vide Veal and Pork Meatballs in Lemon Caper Sauce

This recipe is a magical escape to a place far away. It feels old and new at the same time. There’s a sense of history in the basic elements of meat, potatoes, and cabbage. But each element goes in a slightly different direction that wows the palette and will have you going back for seconds. We’re talking about a klopse -- or meatballs -- that are poached in broth and lemon then that broth is reduced down into a smooth and very tangy sauce with capers and plenty of butter. Add some salt water potatoes and tangy and sweet red cabbage and you’ve got a winning German meal that’ll turn everyone’s expectations on their heads.

Author

Zach Johnston

A self-described traveler, drinker, eater, writer, photographer, and adventurer, Zach knows when good food is on the horizon he'll turn to his Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to ensure it's perfectly done time after time.

Prep Time: 00:30

Recipe Time: 01:00

Temperature : 145F / 62.8C

Ingredients

• 1lb. / 500g Ground Veal
• 1lb. / 500g Ground Pork
• 1 Smoked Sprat (tinned)
• 2 Slices of Sourdough Rye Bread (heals)
• 1⁄2 cup / 120ml Whole Milk
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion
• 1 heaping tablespoon of Marjoram
• 1 teaspoon Allspice
• 1 Egg
• Salt and Pepper
• Fresh Bay Leaves
• 2 cups / 500ml Beef Broth
• 1⁄4 cup of pickled Capers
• Optional: Salted Potatoes and Red Cabbage to serve.

Directions

1. Set your Anova Precision Cooker to 145F/62.5C.
2. De-crust and cube the rye bread and soak it in the milk. You want it to completely fall apart -- this will be your binding agent.
3. Combine veal, pork, sprat, egg, onion, zest of the lemon, marjoram, allspice, salt and pepper and the rye and milk mixture into a mixing bowl and mix until completely combined.
4. Make 16 meatballs. They should be a little bigger than a golf ball but a little smaller than a pool ball.
5. Place the meatballs into a 6l/1.5g bag and add the beef broth and bay leaves. Remove the air and seal.
6. Place the bag into the water bath and set a timer for 1 hour.

Ready the Sauce

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Use tongs to get all the meatballs out. Put them on a serving tray and cover with foil to keep warm.
2. Strain the sauce into a pan and bring to a simmer and then add in a knob of butter to thicken as it reduces. Once it coats the back of a wooden spoon, add the capers.

Serve

1. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the meatballs to coat -- this isn't to cook, just coat. The return them to a platter with the sauce. Serve with potatoes and red cabbage or pickled beets.