Meatball Skewers with Sweet and Spicy Tomato Dip

For the tomato dip, blanch the beefsteak tomatoes for a few seconds in boiling water, drain, peel, cut into quarters and then cut into pieces.

Peel the onions and dice. Rinse the chile pepper, cut lengthwise, remove the seeds and ribs, and finely chop. Place mustard, allspice berries, clove and cinnamon in a cloth or spice bag and tie with kitchen string.

To prepare the dip, mix the tomatoes with the onions, chili pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil in a pot with stirring. Add in the spice bag and open simmer for about 45 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.

For the meatballs, soak the white bread in lukewarm water.

Peel the shallot and garlic, chop finely and saute in a hot pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Remove from heat, allow to cool and mix with minced meat, egg, mustard, the well-squeezed bread and oregano, and season with salt and pepper.

Drain the mozzarella and cut into 1 x 1 cm (approximately ½ inch) small cubes.

Make small balls out of the meat mixture and flatten them, put a mozzarella cube over each, and again shape into balls such that meat envelops the mozarella. 

Fry the meatballs in a hot pan with oil until golden brown all around, reduce the heat and let the balls cook until done.

Remove the spice bag from the tomato dip, stir in the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly.