Some for Now, Some for Later
As always, when I make meatballs, I make a lot – some for now and some for later. This version, made with turkey, chicken, or pork, mimics the inside of a Chinese dumpling, so you can enjoy the flavors, even if, like me, folding and sealing dumplings is not your strong suit. Scroll down to read the column, or find the link to the Berkshire Eagle column here.
INSIDE OUT
by Elizabeth Baer
I can’t begin to guess how many times I’ve saved an Instagram post that will – supposedly – teach me how to fold and seal dumplings. But when I try, they never seem to turn out well. I do understand that much of it is practice, and a lot of it, but my life just doesn’t lend itself to numerous, lengthy dumpling-making sessions.
Instead, I’ve come up with a meatball recipe that tastes like the inside of a dumpling. Truth be told, this combo in one of many varieties of meatballs that I make and freeze so I can bring them to our kids’ homes when we visit them or send them home with our kids when they visit us. In fact, when my kids were little, I felt like I was on an endless loop of making and freezing meatballs for their dinners.
One of my favorite tips about making meatballs is bake them first and then freeze in a single layer before storing in a bag. That way they don’t stick together, and you can take out the exact number you desire. Of course, searing meatballs in a pot where you will later prepare other parts of the dish will impart more flavor, but so often with our busy lives it’s more important to make things streamlined.
Depending on your preferences, you can make this with ground turkey, pork, or chicken. You can vary the size of the meatballs if you like. And there are myriad ways to serve them.
The easiest is probably to warm the meatballs in the microwave, make some quick-cooking ramen noodles, and serve a portion of noodles and some number of meatballs in a bowl. Then take a store-bought Asian sauce and drizzle it over the top. Ta-da! Dinner is done! Or you can make it more elaborate by stir-frying a vegetable, like green beans or broccoli florets, then adding the meatballs and cooked noodles or rice together, and finish cooking with a homemade sauce.
Whatever way you decide to serve them, remember to make a big batch so you can freeze some and have part of a meal for another day done ahead of time.
INGREDIENTS:
Makes about forty 1-inch meatballs; can be halved or doubled
2 pounds ground turkey, pork, or chicken
2 eggs
1 cup plain panko breadcrumbs, or more as needed
4-6 scallions, white and light green parts chopped
2-3 tablespoons finely minced ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently by hand until fully combined. If you have food prep gloves, that can help. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low. If the mixture is too wet, add more panko.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a half sheet pan with foil for easy clean-up. Form meatballs and place on foil-lined pan. You can roll them by hand or use a small cookie scoop. I like to use a scoop with a 2-tablespoon capacity.
Bake meatballs for 20-30 minutes until firm and cooked through. The timing will depend on the size of meatball you decide to make.
For as many as you eating right away, see below for serving suggestions. They can also sit in the fridge for a couple days. To freeze for another time, allow to cool and then place the pan with the meatballs into the freezer. Once the meatballs have frozen fully, they may be removed to a plastic container or freezer bag for storage. When ready to use, just take out as many as you want and defrost in a pan or in the microwave.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
In the accompanying photo, I heated 2 tablespoons canola oil in a wok (a large skillet would be fine, too) to warm the meatballs, then added boiled ramen noodles and poured a sauce over it made from 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, and 1 garlic clove put through a garlic press. I served this with a soft-boiled egg and chili crisp on top.
Even easier would be to place warm meatballs on Asian noodles and pour a store-bought Asian sauce on top. Another possibility would be to do as above, but with rice. You could also war