If I asked my husband to describe my cooking style in one word, he would probably say that I am experimental. I rarely follow recipes as I always like to challenge my ability as a home cook. It doesn't always work, in fact there have been many mishaps in my kitchen. I believe that my mistakes and experiences make me a better home cook overall. At least that is what I tell myself. I feel that I am able to work with ingredients I have on hand in the freezer, pantry and fridge and create meals that utilize everything leaving minimal food waste. I learn from the experiences both good and bad and rarely make the same error twice. Most recently I ruined my scallop potatoes because I failed to cover them in cream before storing them in the fridge over night. I thought It was so smart to make them ahead of time. I was VERY wrong. When I uncovered the potatoes they were BLACK. As black as a tire. They oxidized because I didn't cover the sliced potatoes in the cream mixture before refrigerating them. I have also used salt instead of sugar when baking, left a casserole unattended under the broiler until it was on fire, turned my BBQ on high when I thought it was the low setting and ruined 4 hens that I marinated overnight. I could go on and on about all the crazy things I have experienced in my kitchen over the years, but I think my point has been made. My experimental personality is what led me to this triple feature blog post and I wanted to share the success with all of you.
I challenged myself to make MY interpretation of Vietnamese Meatballs without following a recipe. I have only had Vietnamese meatballs once and LOVED them but really was not certain of all the ingredients. When I started this recipe I thought that the principals of making a good meatball would be the same. Season the meat well, keep them moist, don't over mix them. IT WORKED, and they were so tasty. I used two pounds of ground pork in this recipe which yielded 50 medium sized meatballs. Turkey and chicken would also be an amazing and figure friendly alternative. The first evening I served the meatballs over some rice accompanied by steamed broccoli. I had so many meatballs left over that I decided to make two completely different meals to utilize the leftovers in different ways. One meatball recipe, 3 ways:
1. Sweet and sour meatballs with Sriracha
2. Banh Mi Submarine
3. Vietnamese pizza
If you have children, you can eliminate or adjust the spice level and alternate from pork to chicken or turkey if desired. It is a great recipe to share with your family and get the kids involved in the kitchen . I have fond memories of making meatballs with my mother as a child. I loved mixing and rolling the meatballs and spending time with her while she prepped our dinner. I believe that if kids are invested in the cooking process they will be more open to trying new ingredients. At least that has been the experience in my family. These meatballs are also a great meal for the kids because there are pureed carrots, celery, onion, garlic, ginger, and cilantro in this recipe which can not be identified once they were mixed into the ground pork. They add great flavor and moisture without being overwhelming for kids that shy away from their vegetables. If you are looking for a versatile, affordable, fun family meal that can transform into three different dishes, give this recipe a try.
Note: If you are a cilantro HATER, substitute scallions, chives, parsley or all three. If you don't like pork, this recipe will also be great with ground chicken or turkey. If you don't like spice or Sriracha, simply leave it out of this recipe. The best thing about making meatballs is that you can alternate the flavors to your liking each time you make them.
Pork Meatballs
2 lbs. of ground pork
2 carrots- peeled and rough chopped3 stalks of celery- rough chopped
1 large thumb size nub of ginger- peeled
3 cloves of garlic
1 small bunch of cilantro
1 small red onion- rough chop
1 scallion- rough chop
1 Tbsp. Chinese 5 spice
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. Soy sauce
1 tsp. mustard powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 egg- whisk before adding to the meat mixture
3/4 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili sauce- optional
1 Tbsp. Avocado oil or Vegetable oil
Sweet and Sour Glaze
1/2 cup of Passata (tomato puree) or ketchup
1/2 cup of rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup of honey
1 Tbsp. Sriracha- optional
1/2 cup of water
Salt and pepper if desired
Soy sauce- Optional
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
1. In a food processor mince the carrots, celery, ginger, garlic, cilantro, onion, and scallion.
2. Heat a medium size saucepan with the avocado oil. Add the vegetable puree and sauté on medium high heat for 10-12 minutes. This step is optional. If you wish to add the vegetable puree to the ground pork at this point to save time just do that. Cooking the puree first adds another depth of flavor and aids in making the meatballs extra moist.
4. In the meantime, prepare the sweet and sour glaze.
5. Mix all the ingredients in a small saucepan set over medium high heat and bring to a gentle boil. Turn the heat down to once it reaches a gentle boil and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the sauce is consistent with a glaze. It should gently coat the back of a spoon but not be thick like a caramel. Once you reach the correct consistency remove the sauce from heat and set aside until your meatballs are baked and ready to swim in the sauce.
Note:
Taste the glaze to determine if you are happy with the sweetness and spice level. If you like your sweet and sour sauce on the sweeter side, add more honey. If you like it more spicy add more Sriracha. Just be sure to keep the vinegar, water and tomato puree equal parts.
Now that the vegetable puree is cooled, and the sauce is ready, you can mix up your meatballs. Be sure to sure to use a larger bowl than you need, so there is enough space to gently fold together the mixture.
6. Pour the panko crumbs into a small bowl and cover with the milk. Let rest for 5 minutes until the crumbs are well soaked.
7. Squeeze out the excess milk from the crumbs and add the soft panko into a large bowl.
8. Add the ground pork, vegetable puree, and all the remaining meatball ingredients to the large bowl that the panko is in. Gently fold to mixture together until just combined. It is important that you don't over work the meat. The meatballs can become tough once cooked if they are overworked.
9. Roll out your meatballs into 1-1/2 inch balls and place onto a parchment lined pan.
10. Bake them for 20 minutes on the middle rack in your oven.
11. Once they are removed from the oven, gently transfer them into a deep saucepan and pour the sauce over them, gently mixing them until they are coated in the glaze. Simmer on low heat, in a covered deep pan for 10-12 minutes.
12. Serve over rice or as an appetizer immediately or see below for TWO ALTERNATIVE ways to showcase these Vietnamese Meatballs.
I added chopped toasted cashews, quinoa and sesame to my rice for extra texture and flavor.
Garnish (optional)- toasted sesame seeds, chives, scallions or cilantro
Banh Mi Submarine Sauce
1/4 cup of left over glaze
1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
juice and zest of a lime
Additional Sriracha if desired
Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.
Quick Crunchy Slaw
Equal parts of :
carrots-match stick sliced
radish-match stick sliced
daikon-match stick sliced
purple cabbage- shaved
scallion-angle cut
Just before building your submarine sandwich add a splash of rice wine vinegar and a dash of salt to the slaw. Toss and serve. Do not mix this in advance or it will not have any crunch to it and the radish and cabbage color will run and bleed into the slaw turning it all purple.
Those of you that know me are aware that I am crazy in love with sandwiches. I believe that layering a sandwich in a certain order is necessary to achieve GREAT results. To make the most DELISH submarine sandwich give this method a try:
1. Use a fresh baguette or submarine bun. I used a whole grain sub bun.
2. Slice the bun on one side and flatten open, keeping the top and bottom attached.
3. If there is a lot of dough inside the bread, gently remove the excess and throw away.
4. Toast the bun on broil facing up until golden. DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE OVEN AT THIS POINT.
5. Remove the bun from the oven and place on a cutting board or large plate.
6. Spread both halves with the Banh Mi mayo made earlier. END TO END.
7. Cut 6 meatballs in half and place in a bowl. Heat up the meatballs in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot, if you are using leftover meatballs.
8. Meanwhile, place shredded lettuce or spinach or kale (I used baby spinach and kale)on the bottom half of the bun over the special mayo.
9. When the meatballs are ready place them cut side down over the spinach and drizzle any excess sauce that is left behind from the meatball bowl.
10. Toss the slaw with the vinegar and salt and place a healthy portion EVENLY across the submarine. This will add great texture and flavor to the Banh Mi Sandwich.
11. Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs, toasted sesame seeds and an additional drizzle of mayo if desired. If you hate cilantro use scallions or chives.
12. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fast and Easy Pizza
To turn your leftovers into delicious mini pizzas, use whole wheat naan bread.
1. Place your naan bread on a sheet pan and place under the broiler until golden and crispy. DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE OVEN AT THIS POINT.
2. Turn over and toast the opposite side as well.
3. Remove from the oven and use the meatball glaze as the pizza sauce. Spread the glaze evenly around the naan almost to the edge.
4. Cover the naan with shredded mozzarella.
5. Cut the leftover meatballs in half and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot. Place 4-6 pieces of meatball cut side down around the pizza.
6. Place the pizza back into the oven until the cheese is melted. DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE OVEN AT THIS POINT.
7. Remove from the oven and garnish with slaw (remember not to mix the slaw until needed), cilantro, toasted sesame seeds and a drizzle of Banh Mi mayo. If you hate cilantro use scallions or chives.
8. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope that you enjoy these fun and delicious recipes!
A
These pork meatballs look delicious. They are going on my to do list.
ReplyDeleteThe Old Fat Guy