Spicy Sweet & Sour Meat Balls

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground meat
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup bread crumbs
4 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 + tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp salt
olive oil

Sweet & Sour Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch salt
1 tsp red chili paste
1 tsp ground ginger
1-2 tsp lemon juice
4 TBSP cornstarch
*1/4 cup ketchup (optional)
*red food color (optional - i use it when making chinese)

For the meatballs: whisk together egg and milk. Mix in bread crumbs and let stand 5 minutes. Add beef, garlic, pepper, salt and cayenne; mix thoroughly with hands. Shape into 1 inch balls.

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook meatballs, turning a few times, 3-4 minutes to sear outside. Transfer to a baking dish or cast iron skillet and place in oven. Bake while making S&S sauce, but check occasionally to keep from over cooking.

For sweet and sour sauce - combine all ingredients in a pan over medium heat. Make sure to mix cornstarch with a little water before adding to prevent clumping. Whisk until desired thickness.
Serve over meat balls. Garnish with sliced scallions!