Boulets liégeois

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O – M – G these Boulets liégeois are amazing!  I know, I know, I say that a lot, but seriously….this meal is amazing!  This month’s Food of the World is taking us to Belgium, and I was really excited to create an authentic dish.  I asked my daughter, who just spent a year in Belgium, what the most popular, well-known dish served all over Belgium is?  She didn’t even hesitate…..

You have to make Boulets liégeois!! They are meatballs swimming in an apple and onion gravy, served with French fries.  French fries?  I’m in! 😉

So I hit the internet and started looking for recipes for this wonderful dish…and that is where the problems started.  All of the recipes are written in French, so I hit the translate button and…let’s just say not everything can be translated. “Singer with flour and mix”.  What?  “Ready the device for meatballs by mixing the chopped eggs and parsley”.  What chopped eggs?

Then there is the main ingredient, Sirop de Liège.  Uh huh, sure.  I live in Iowa, where on earth am I going to get my hands on that?  More Google searches ensued…..

According to Wikipedia – “Sirop de Liège (French for syrup from Liège, sometimes translated into Dutch as luikse siroop) is a Belgian jam or jelly-like spread made of evaporated fruit juices. Apple and pear juices are used, and date or other fruit juices can be used as well. It could be considered a form of apple butter, or a syrup, albeit a soft, solid syrup.  Yes… I know what apple butter is and it is readily available. 🙂

Now I just need to figure out how much 500 grams of beef equals in American, LOL.  I decided to go with 1 pound, nice and easy!!

How to make Boulets liégeois:

Start by placing your de-crusted bread in a food processor and pulse to make breadcrumbs…..

Mix the ground beef and pork together in a large bowl…..

We want it to be nice and evenly mixed together…..

Now add the breadcrumbs, onions, parsley, and “raw” eggs…..

and thoroughly mix together…..

Form the mixture into 120 gram balls…I still don’t speak Canadian, so I decided to use a 1/2 cup measuring cup…..

This gave me 11 rather huge meatballs.  If you actually need 6 servings {2 each}, then you might want to try 1/3 cup.  Dredge the meatballs in flour…..

Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes each side…..

You might want to very carefully move them around a bit.  The ones in the center cooked more than the ones on the outside.  Once the meatballs are cooked, move to a plate…..

Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over low heat.  Add the chopped onions and cook until caramelized, about 15 minutes…..

Stir in the brown sugar and thyme…..

Add the flour and stir to combine.  This creates a roux that will thicken the sauce…..

Stir in the vinegar and apple butter {Sirop de Liège, lol}.  Do you see how thin that apple butter is?  You don’t want the thick paste kind. ;)…..

Pour in the beef broth and add the bay leaves.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes…..

Place the meatballs back in the skillet and cook for 15 minutes to heat through…..

The sauce is not really green, it’s just my lights. 😉 Serve immediately with Pomme Frites {French fries} and Belgian beer or table wine…..

No need for ketchup, this sauce is perfect for dipping your fries into…..

Yes, I did make Homemade French Fries and they are amazing as well! 🙂

more delicious meatball recipes:

Swedish Meatballs

Albondigas {Spanish Meatballs}

Spanish Meatballs in Almond Sauce

Enjoy!!

Boulets liégeois

Boulets liégeois is a very popular dish served all over Belgium. They are meatballs swimming in an apple and onion gravy, served with fries.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Belgian

Keyword: beef, pork, sauce, gravy, apple, recipe, Liege, meatballs

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

Calories: 666kcal

Author: Lisa Johnson

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 4 slices white bread crusts removed (turned into breadcrumbs)
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1 bunch Italian parsley finely choppped
• 2 large eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• flour for dredging
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups diced onions about 3 onions
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2/3 cups sirop de Liège - organic apple butter I used R.W. Knudsen
• 3 cups beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Mix beef and pork together in a large bowl to thoroughly combine.
• Add the breadcrumbs, eggs, parsley, and onions. Mix thoroughly.
• Roll into meatballs, about 1/2 cup each, and dredge in flour.
• Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes on each side.
• Remove meatballs to a plate. Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter to the skillet.
• Add the chopped onions and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until onions are caramelized.
• Add the brown sugar and thyme, stir and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the flour, stir to combine.
• Add the syrup Liège {apple butter} and vinegar, stir.
• Pour in the beef stock, and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
• Add the meatballs back to the sauce and cook for 15 minutes to heat through.
• Serve immediately with pomme frites {French fries} and Belgian beer or wine.

Nutrition

Calories: 666kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 198mg | Sodium: 455mg | Potassium: 913mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 22.7% | Vitamin C: 25% | Calcium: 13.4% | Iron: 25.6%