Roasted Lamb Meatballs with Red Sauce and Polenta

I have a new love affair: H.E.B. Oh wait! I meant to say polenta but both are currently my new love affairs...don't tell the hubby. =) Since moving to back to Houston, I have discovered H.E.B. and fallen madly in love. Don't judge me. I just moved from a town that had 2 Walmarts as my choice in grocery stores. There was an Albertson's that turned into a Food Pyramid. We only ever went there for ingredients that Rachael Ray recipes required that Walmart didn't have. Luckily, Food Pyramid existed in Stilly or our cooking would have been very basic. I would have been depressed. H.E.B. almost caused me to go into depression for this meal. The hubby was grocery shopping with me that day and became my savior and stopped me from having a total meltdown. I had a physical reason to be emotional ok, don't judge me. TMI? Sorry. Ok back to the recipe because I'm sure you're not here to listen to me ramble. Or is this a pleasant change from the normal? Let me know. (I've been reading The Pioneer Woman a lot lately. obsessed. check her out.)

Anywho, my wonderful hubby spotted the lamb and polenta in H.E.B. and we were able to make this recipe with all the ingredients required. That makes for a happy girl who cannot make herself break the rules or stray from the recipe (me, if you can't figure it out). We found this recipe from the same Rachael Ray magazine as the risotto recipe. Dad got a free bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that we wanted to try and therefore needed a recipe that was recommended with that kind of wine. Polenta, in my favorite store, was in a bag labeled corn grits. Shock to me but still my new favorite food. I love the way it tastes after following RR's recipe. This recipe adds rosemary to it. It is a divine snack just polenta, milk, honey and butter. Ok, so after way too much blabbering, here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 slices whole wheat bread, crusts discarded, chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1-1/2 pounds ground lamb
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 large cloves garlic, grated
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for brushing
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• One 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup whole milk or half-and-half
• 1 cup polenta
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

DIRECTIONS:

1. 
   
   
   Preheat the oven to 400°. In a bowl, moisten the bread with
   1/3 cup chicken broth. Add the lamb, egg, garlic, 2 teaspoons
   salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Form the mixture into 8 meatballs.
   Brush with EVOO and set 2 inches apart on a rimmed nonstick
   baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes.
2. 
   
   
   Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO,
   1 turn of the pan, over medium heat. Add the onion, season
   with salt and pepper and cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
   Add the vinegar and cook it off, 1 minute. Stir in 2/3 cup chicken
   broth, then the tomatoes. Bring the sauce just to a boil, then
   lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. 
   
   
   In a medium saucepan, bring the remaining 2 cups chicken
   broth and the milk to a boil. Whisk in the polenta, lower the heat
   and cook, whisking, until the polenta is thick but spoonable, 2 to
   3 minutes. Stir in the honey, butter, rosemary and salt and pepper
   to taste. If it gets too thick, add water or more milk.
4. 
   
   
   Spoon the polenta into bowls; top with the meatballs and sauce.