Doing the background research for an article on Japan (see: P.S. below), my favorite recipe called ‘Non-Swedish Meatballs’ suddenly popped into my mind. I thought… Why not? This could be an opportune time to share a terrific little dish with other women on Twitter, the Yummy Mummy Club, and the Journeywoman Network. So, here it is — complete with its secret ingredient– grape jelly.

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs. ground meat
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
1 grated onion
1 large raw potato, grated
1 bottle (smallest size) chili sauce
1 bottle water (equal to the amount of chili sauce)
1 small jar grape jelly.

Mix meat, onion, potato, egg, salt, pepper, and garlic together. Shape into approximately 60 bite-sized meatballs. Mix chili sauce, water, and grape jelly, then bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and put the meatballs in the sauce. Cover and cook for one hour. Chill and remove the layer of fat from the top. Reheat and serve hot, in the sauce, in a chafing dish or freeze for future use.
(Source: Gourmet on the Go, Ideals Publishing Corp., USA)

P.S. When travelling around the world with Semester at Sea I cooked this recipe for a potluck dinner I was asked to attend in Japan. I couldn’t find grape jelly in their grocery stores so I used blueberry jam instead. From my Canadian point of view, the result was really strange but it was a hit with my Japanese guests.

P.P.S. If you pass this recipe along to anybody else, please pass along the JourneyWoman internet address as well. We’d love to have your friends and relatives as part of the JourneyWoman Network