Black Cherry Glazed Meatball Sandwich with Papaya Slaw
August 21, 2015
There’s nothing like kicking back with friends and family in the summer around some good food and refreshing beverages. This summer, Mike’s Hard Lemonade has launched the Flavors of America variety pack to help highlight your best summer moments. I was inspired by this mix pack to create a fun summer picnic for the next time your friends come over and want to eat outside. I started with the idea of a pulled pork sandwich topped with slaw, and some fresh grilled corn on the side, because what’s better than that when you are eating outside? Then I took it in a new direction with these sweet glazed meatballs and crunchy papaya salad, and made the corn with blood orange and basil.
The meatballs have some chile pepper and cilantro in them to cut through the sweet glaze.
Once they brown a bit, add in the Mike’s Black Cherry Hard Lemonade.
After it cooks about 10 minutes it reduces to a nice sticky glaze.
Juicy, sweet, and spicy, these meatballs are unique and delicious!
You want your papaya to be on the green side. Honestly this one is a little more ripe than I would have liked. Slice the papaya in half, remove the seeds, and use a julienne peeler to cut thin strips. To tenderize the unripe papaya, you need to smash it for a little bit in a mortar and pestle. Then add the seasonings; some mint, tomato, soy sauce, peanuts, and Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
This salad is refreshing and bright, the perfect topping for the sticky, sweet meatballs!
Making the corn is easy, just mix a little mayo with some Mike’s Blood Orange Hard Lemonade, and brush the corn with it when it comes off the grill.
Top with basil and eat!
A great picnic all around, with some fun and unique recipes. Like I mentioned, the refreshing salad is the perfect topping for the sweet meatballs on this sandwich and it adds a much needed crunch. The juicy, sweet and spicy meatballs are a good change of pace for a late summer sandwich.
I always love eating grilled corn, and any recipe that changes it up is a winner for me. This version with the blood orange adds a sweet and tart flavor that I normally don’t have with my corn but I loved it!
Black Cherry Glazed Meatball Sandwich with Papaya Slaw
- Black Cherry Glazed Meatballs
- 1 Pound Ground Turkey
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Cilantro
- 5 Fresno Chiles
- 1/2 Cup Breadcrumbs
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1 Egg
- 1 Bottle Mike's Black Cherry Hard Lemonade
- Papaya Salad
- 1 Large Unripe Papaya
- 1 Tomato sliced in thin strips
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Mint
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Peanuts
- 1/2 Cup Mike's Hard Lemonade
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Chile Flake
- Blood Orange Basil Corn
- 4 Ears Corn
- 1/2 Cup Mayo
- 1/4 Cup Mike's Blood Orange Hard Lemonade
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Basil
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Mix the meats and all the ingredients except for the Mike’s Black Cherry Hard Lemonade. Roll the mixture into 18 meatballs. Add some oil to a large frying pan and get it nice and hot. Add the meatballs and cook about 10 minutes, gently stirring and rotating occasionally to brown all sides.
- Add in the Mike’s Black Cherry Hard Lemonade and stir. Bring to a simmer. Cook about 15 minutes until the liquid becomes a thick glaze. Serve!
For the Slaw
- Cut the papaya in half and remove the seeds. Peel the papaya and use a julienne peeler to cut thin strips. Add the strips to a mortar and pestle and pound for about 5 minutes to tenderize. Mix the papaya with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and set aside for about an hour before serving.
For the Corn
- Shuck the corn and grill it to your desired doneness. Meanwhile mix the mayo with the Mike’s Blood Orange Hard Lemonade. Mix well to combine and form a smooth sauce. When the corn comes off the grill, brush the corn with the sauce. Top with basil and serve!
Build the Sandwiches!
- Get some bread, top it with the meatballs, and put a nice hearty helping of the salad on top. Put the top bread on and serve it with the corn and lots of Mike’s Hard Lemonade!