meatball appetizer

Scallion Turkey Meat”balls” with Soy Ginger Glaze

~ Kim Heinrichs ~ 2 Comments

 

scallion meatballs with soy ginger glaze - trust in kim

As I was making these I swore (a lot) that I’d never make them again. I love baking, and I like cooking, but rolling and frying meatballs – this I do not enjoy. I guess the part that bugs me the most is: no matter how nicely I roll them into perfect little balls, they turn into triangles and other fancy shapes in the frying pan. That’s why I’ve renamed the recipe meat”balls.” I was going to call them meat”shapes” but I thought that might scare people away from this recipe.

But. . . when the results came in, and they were a big hit, I realized that like it or not, I will be making these again. I guess that means I just want to please the people I love.

These got rave reviews at a family party that I brought these to this weekend. I wasn’t sure how they’d go over, as there were a lot of kids (aka picky eaters). I didn’t think they’d like the cilantro in the meat”balls”, but they loved it; maybe it’s the slightly sweet sauce that made it go down so nicely. I really liked how tender the meatballs were.

I got this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen blog, and she adapted it from Canal House Cooking. The only changes I made were to halve the sauce recipe (it was plenty), and grate the ginger instead of chopping.

You can make the sauce ahead of time, and even the meatballs. Because I had to travel a way to my party, I cooked them ahead of time, then just reheated them at the party.

What you need for the Meatballs:

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 4 large or 6 small scallions, finely chopped
  • half a bunch of cilantro, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil, preferably toasted
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • vegetable oil

What you need for the sauce:

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine), or 1/4 cup sake with 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon peeled, grated ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 whole black peppercorns

What you do:

  1. To make the sauce, combine the brown sugar and water in a saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and let it boil, stirring, until it reduces by half. You want a thick liquid that coats the meatballs. Oops, I was supposed to strain it through a sieve – do this, or just remove the peppercorns like I did… oh, maybe I left them in. Sorry whoever got the peppercorns.
  2. Combine the meat”ball” ingredients in a large bowl and use a fork to mix it all together. Form them into balls, about 1 tablespoon in each. Use wet hands to do this.
  3. Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add some meatballs to the pan, not overcrowding the pan; you want some room to move them around. Fry them until they are nice and browned on the outside (key to flavour!) and cooked through.
  4. Place on a (preferably) heated plate and top with sauce. Serve with toothpicks.

 

Greek Meatballs

~ Kim Heinrichs ~ Leave a comment

greek meatballs - trust in kim

 

These tasty meatballs were served up recentlyas an appetizer at a birthday party.  I served them with some pita and homemade tzatziki.  They are really delicious, and really easy to make.  I mixed them up a few hours before the party, then fried and served them hot.  These would also be great in pita sandwiches for lunch with a Greek salad on the side.

I got the recipe here.

You need to plan ahead if you’re going to make your own tzatziki, as the yogurt needs to be drained for a few hours.  The garlic flavour also improves after sitting for a while.

What you need for the meatballs:

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 to 3 pieces bread, crusts cut off, soaked in milk and then squeezed
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
  • 2 tablespoon fresh mint
  • 2 to 3 green onions, finely chopped
  • Tiny pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Olive oil, as needed

What you do for the meatballs:

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl by mixing with your hands.
  2. Heat a frying pan or well-oiled grill on high heat.
  3. Form the mixture into about 24 balls, then flatten them slightly.  Reduce the heat and fry each one for about 12 minutes, flipping once.
  4. Serve them hot with the pita and tzatziki sauce.

What you need for the tzatziki:

2 cups yogurt, (I use whole milk yogurt)

cheesecloth for straining

1 clove garlic, minced (or more if you like it really garlicky)

1/2 english cucumber, grated

salt and pepper to taste

fresh mint, optional

What you do for the tzatziki:

1.  Line a sieve with cheesecloth and place the yogurt into the cheesecloth.  Refrigerate for a few hours or over night to and allow it to drain.  Pour off the liquid that is drained.

2.  Grate the cucumber and squeeze it so you get as much liquid out of it as you can.  Add this to the thickened yogurt.

3.  Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and optional mint.  Mix it all up. I like to remove it from the fridge at least an hour before serving.

trust in kim - tzatziki

Now I just need to learn to make pita bread…