mmm, mmm, meatballs

There are some recipes that simply must be shared, praised and kept on hand for future use - like Smitten Kitchen's scallion meatballs.

I have to admit - when I first saw the recipe, I was a little bit uncertain about a couple of ingredients...like sesame oil.  Would I even be able to find that - at a reasonable price - in the local grocery store?  (That might sound like a silly question, but living in semi-rural central Kentucky can have its culinary challenges.)  Thankfully, I found it (at an acceptable price), so meatball time it was!

Normally, I'm a fan of digging my hands into a bowl to mix and mold ingredients...however, when Smitten mentioned her go-to method of using a fork to mix meatballs, that sounded like something to try.  This turned into me going the completely clean-hands route when I realized that, if I was supposed to be using tablespoon-sized portions of meat, I could just use a tablespoon to measure and gently shape the meatballs.  What a concept!

Another insight I particularly appreciated in her recipe was the comment that the meat mixture would be pretty soft.  Had she not included that, I would have worried (greatly) at how...free-form the meatballs turned out to be; but trusting in her wisdom, I went with it.

Cooking anything in hot oil is never an exciting prospect, but these cooked quickly and didn't require a ton of attention while they cooked - always a good combination!

And the end result?  Simply delicious! (literally!)  The meatballs have a nice flavor and texture to them, and the soy-ginger glaze (which turned out to be more of a light sauce because I didn't feel like waiting any longer for it to reduce) has a rich flavor that made a great substitute for the rice and eggrolls I served on the side.

The only suggestion I would offer to her recipe is that ground ginger can easily be substituted for the fresh ginger.  Some may not like that approach, but since I always have ground ginger on hand, I went with that (in lieu of purchasing fresh) and it worked well.  Since I also left out the peppercorns, the small change saved me the step of straining the sauce before serving, too.  A small detail, for sure...but one that made the recipe even simpler for me.

Either way - whether you stand firmly with fresh ginger or easily with ground - this is not a recipe to overlook!

Where I am: home

What I'm reading: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (almost done!)