Asian Meatballs with Citrus Sauce and Quinoa Cabbage Salad

I was craving Asian-anything the other night - I didn't care if it was Chinese or Thai or Vietnamese or what.  I think I kind of drew from a lot of different Asian cooking influences when I made these meatballs and they came out so bomb!  They remind me a little of the filling you get in pot stickers, and are, in fact, very similar to our pot sticker recipe, found here.  Lots of veggies in these suckers!  In fact as I was chopping all the veggies up and throwing them in the bowl for pics, Justin asked where the meat was?  He didn't see that it was in the bottom of the mixing bowl... just covered with a ton of vegetables.
 

The citrus sauce was Justin's idea.  I was just going to do a wine sauce, but we had some oranges and lemons on hand and I really liked the idea of the bright citrus flavour to go with the meatballs.  Way tasty!  And all served with a cold quinoa and Napa cabbage salad... because you're going to have enough cabbage for both the meatballs and the salad!  Might as well use it all up!  ( actually only used 1/2 the Napa cabbage and sauted up the other 1/2 with the rest of the red onion the next night!)  But the quinoa and cabbage salad was a great contrast - I liked the crunch and lightness of the raw cabbage, cucumber and onion in the salad to go with the meatballs and sauce.  It all came together really well and satisfied that Asian food craving!

We'll be headed to a DS-13 show next weekend, so let's listen to a little Swedish hardcore with, "I Don't Wanna Be A Skinhead".  Neither do I, dude.  Neither do I.  -jen

ASIAN MEATBALLS

Napa Cabbage

Prep Time:  about 25 minutes
Cook Time:  30-40 minutes
Difficulty:  Medium
Makes: 60 meatballs

Meatball Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 cups finely chopped Napa cabbage
• 1 cup finely diced carrots (3 medium)
• 3/4 cup finely diced celery (2 medium)
• 1 cup finely diced green onions (1 bunch)
• 1 cup finely diced Anaheim or bell peppers (2 medium)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used 3/4c cilantro, 1/4c basil, 1/4c mint)
• 3 teaspoons minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes (1 tbsp for less spicy - 2 tbsp just has a small kick)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons Chinese mustard
• 2 eggs, lightly whisked
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• canola oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients EXCEPT the canola oil and mix until combined.  If you have a food processor, I recommend throwing all the veggies into that to get them super-fine diced.  While it's not necessary, the meatball will hold together better the finer the veggies are chopped. 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Form 1.5 tablespoons of mixture into balls.  In a large skillet, add enough oil to cover the bottom and heat to medium-high.  Brown in batches.  Space balls evenly in pan so that they're not touching.  I only browned tops and bottoms.  Remove browned meatballs and set on a paper towel to remove excess grease.  Once all meatballs are browned, arrange on baking sheet.  (Don't rinse out that skillet!)  Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached.


 
Citrus Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• juice of 1 orange
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken broth (you'll want 3 cups total of juice, wine and broth)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• zest of 1 orange
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (and 2 tbsp water)
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (used the same ones as in meatballs: cilantro, basil, mint)

In the skillet that you browned the meatballs, you'll want about 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat.  My pork was lean, so I had to add oil to the pan - if you got higher-fat pork, you may have enough oil in the pan remaining or you may even have to remove some.  Saute onions until translucent and tender.  Add garlic and saute for another minute.  Add your 3 cups combined of citrus juice, wine and broth to the skillet as well as the soy sauce and the citrus zest, making sure you scrape those browned bits off the bottom of the skillet.  Bring to a boil and let reduce for about 5 minutes.  In a separate bowl combine 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water to make a slurry.  Whisk this in to the sauce until sauce thickens.  Remove from heat and taste.  Add salt and pepper as needed and stir in fresh herbs.  Serve over Asian Meatballs with Quinoa Salad (see recipe below).

QUINOA CABBAGE SALAD

Cook Time:  20 minutes
Rest Time:  20 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Makes: about 5 cups

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 and 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups Napa cabbage, chopped
• 1 cucumber, seeds removed and diced
• 1/3 cup red onion, diced 

In a large sauce pan, over medium-high heat, add quinoa and cook about 2 minutes to toast - you'll see the quinoa start to turn a darker, golden brown and you'll smell that nutty, toasty deliciousness.  Stir in chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, than cover, lower heat, and simmer for a total of 18 minutes, stirring half-way through.  After 18 minutes, turn off heat and let rest with lid on for another 10 minutes.  Uncover and fluff with a fork.  Transfer to a large serving bowl and let cool another 10 minutes.  Stir in Napa cabbage, diced cucumber and diced onion.  Serve at room temp or chilled.

Warm Chorizo and Cabbage Salad

I was at the laundromat with Justin when I came up with this idea.  I'm not sure where it came from... I knew we had a pound of chorizo in the freezer and I think I was just trying to come up with some sort of "different" salad idea.

It came out really tasty!  I'd describe it as a Mexican-style mushu... or a warm slaw?  One of Justin's coworkers had gifted us with a huge zucchini, so I just scooped that out (I actually sauteed the scooped zucchini filling with my onion and poblano), rubbed some olive oil on the inside and outside, seasoned with salt and pepper and baked in a preheated 425 oven for about 17 minutes, until tender.  Then stuffed it with the chorizo and cabbage salad.  Very good!  But the next day, I just ate it in a bowl by itself like a salad.

I don't think we've used any Good Riddance with our recipes yet - "There's No 'I' In Team".  -jen

WARM CHORIZO AND CABBAGE SALAD
Time:  about 30 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Makes:   about 8 cups

• 1/2 pound chorizo sausage (the meaty kind, not the melty kind)
• 3/4 cup onion, julienned
• 1/2 cup poblano pepper, julienned
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 3/4 cup Restaurant Style Salsa
• 3 cups cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
• 8oz (half a 14oz can) corn, drained
• 8oz (half a 14oz can) garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onion, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown chorizo until cooked through.  Remove with a slotted spoon, place in a large bowl and set aside.  Using 2 tablespoons of the sausage grease, saute onion, poblano and oregano until softened and onion is translucent.  Remove with slotted spoon and set aside in same bowl as sausage.

Delicious brown bits!

While pan is still hot, add white wine and salsa, scraping up the browned bits from the pan.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5-7 minutes, until reduced to half.  Add cabbage, carrots, corn and beans, stirring to coat with sauce.  Cook for just a few minutes so that cabbage is still crunchy and not cooked all the way through.  Toss with cilantro and green onion.  Add a little salt and pepper if necessary.

Can be served as just a salad.  Can be put into zucchini boats (I halved my large zucchini, scooped it out, salt, pepper and olive oil on inside and baked for 15-20 minutes at 425 on a greased cookie sheet until tender), then stuffed with cabbage salad.  Could be rolled into a burrito, served as a taco, rolled in an egg roll wrapper and fried.  Served with rice or pasta.  Whatever!

Pozole Verde de Puerco (Green Hominy Soup with Pork)

Maiz blanco (white maize/hominy)

Pozole... a Mexican soup with a history of human sacrifice.  If that doesn't make you want to eat it, I don't know what will! 

According to Wiki, "...pozole was made to be consumed on special occasions...on these special occasions, the meat used in the pozole was human.   After the prisoners were killed by having their hearts torn out in a ritual sacrifice, the rest of the body was chopped and cooked with maize. The meal was shared among the whole community as an act of religious communion. After the Conquest, when cannibalism was banned, pork became the staple meat as it 'tasted very similar', according to a Spanish priest."

Pozole garnish

Pozole is made with corn (maiz) that is treated in an alkaline solution, a process called nixtamalization.  Wiki also says, "Maize subjected to the nixtamalization process has several benefits over unprocessed grain: it is more easily ground; its nutritional value is increased; flavor and aroma are improved; and mycotoxins are reduced.

Justin decided to go with pork instead of long pig for this recipe and it was delicious!  Garnishes for pozole vary - we used cabbage, radishes, green onion, cilantro and lime.  I've also had it with salsa and/or sliced avocado.

Sticking with the theme of eating people, let's listen to this cover of a song I knew growing up - The Meteors covering "Little Red Riding Hood" (originally done by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, and I think it was titled "Li'l Red Riding Hood"?)  Anyway, I dig this cover.  Eat pork, not people.  Unless you really want to - I'm not the boss of you.  -jen

POZOLE VERDE DE PUERCO (GREEN HOMINY SOUP WITH PORK)
Prep Time:  30 minutes
Cook Time:  about an hour, including simmering
Difficulty: Medium
Makes: about 2.5 quarts

• 1 pound country-style pork ribs, cubed to bite size
• 1 teaspoon salt 

  

  Pozole ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 3 tablespoons butter 
• 3/4 cup onion, diced (half of a large onion)
• 1/2 cup celery, diced (about 2 large ribs)
• 3 large fresh tomatillos, diced
• 1 large jalapeño, seeded, de-veined and diced
• 1 large green onion, diced
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tbsp)
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 12 cups (1.5 quarts) pork broth (or chicken broth if pork isn't available)
• 28oz can pozole (hominy), drained
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Garnishes:

• shredded cabbage
• thinly sliced radishes
• green or white onion, chopped
• cilantro, chopped
• lime wedges

Country-style pork ribs

Put cubed pork in a large Ziplock bag and add salt, black pepper, paprika and cinnamon.  Massage bag to distribute seasonings evenly over meat.

In a large stock pot, heat butter over medium-high and add seasoned pork, browning on all sides.  Remove and set aside. 

In the same pan, using the pork drippings, add onion, celery, tomatillos, jalapeños, green onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper.  Saute until vegetables are tender and translucent, 3-5 minutes.  Once vegetables are cooked, add broth and hominy and the browned pork.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer about 40 minutes.  Turn off heat and stir in 1/3 cup cilantro.

Serve hot with cabbage, radishes, green onion, cilantro and lime juice on top of each serving, or serve on the side for folks to add their own.

Pork Pot Stickers (Chinese Dumplings) & Dipping Sauce

I've been having a serious craving for good Chinese food and unfortunately, there's no Chinese food
restaurants in our little town that we like.  We had our wedding catered in '08 by a friend who owned the best Chinese restaurant in town, but the building burned down a few years later and she never reopened it.  We've been without good Chinese food in town and the solution to that - make it ourselves.

While these are mildly time consuming, they're actually fairly easy to make.  If two people can get together and make them, it makes it much faster.  One person can be chopping vegetables while the other is adding them to the pork with the wet ingredients.  Then during assembly time, one person can be scooping the mix onto the wraps while the other pinches and seals the dumplings.  Team work!

We always have a ton of vegetables in our house, so we actually had a lot of the ingredients already and it didn't cost us much at all.  If you have to buy all the vegetables and end up with leftovers, just chop it all up for a salad - we eat cabbage and vegetable salads all the time.  Or soup would be another good option for the leftover cabbage, pepper, onion, carrot... man, you could make a killer soup!  

I went old school for tunes with this recipe and pulled out X's "Nausea".  I got to see them a few times in Chicago.  I always think of John Doe (bass player) in the movie "Great Balls of Fire" as Winona Ryder's dad.  I love that movie.  It's so terrible and cheesy and awesome. -jen

PORK POT STICKERS (CHINESE DUMPLINGS)
Prep Time:  about 45 minutes
Rest Time:  30 minutes
Cook Time:  6 minutes
Difficulty:  Medium
Makes:  about 80

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 cup cabbage (Napa or green), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded

  

  We've been buying poblano peppers instead of bell peppers because
  they're significantly cheaper and similar in flavour!

  
  

• 1/2 cup green onions, finely diced
• 1/3 cup bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 4 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Sambal (Asian chili paste)
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce 
• 1 teaspoon Chinese mustard (or Dijon mustard)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon corn starch (plus extra for dusting)
• about 80 round pot sticker/wonton wrappers
• oil for frying (vegetable, canola, peanut, etc)
• water for sealing and steaming

Pork and vegetable mix

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (except the wonton wrappers, oil and water) until well mixed.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (but you can refrigerate longer).

Sprinkle a baking sheet lightly with corn starch and set aside.  Have a small bowl of water for your assembly.  I worked with 9 at a time on a cutting board, keeping the unused ones covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out.  Place 1 teaspoon of filling into center of wrapper.  Wet edge of wrapper and fold over, crimping/pinching edges together to seal.  Place pot sticker on the corn starched baking sheet.

 (If you don't want to cook all 80 pot stickers, you can freeze them uncooked on the baking sheet for about an hour, then put in a freezer bag and freeze for later.)

In a large skillet (that has a fitted lid), heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil over a medium high heat.  Add pot stickers to pan, one at a time, in a single layer. (In our 11" skillet, we could fit 18-20 at once.) Do not over-crowd.  Fry for 2 minutes until light golden-brown.  Add 1/3 cup of water, cover and steam for 2 minutes.  Remove lid and continue to fry for another 2 minutes.  If you do a second batch, just add more oil to the pan and let it get hot before adding your second batch and repeat.

Serve hot with dipping sauce (see recipe below).

I like to put the veggies in,
then pour the wet ingredients over them

POT STICKER DIPPING SAUCE

• 1 tablespoon green onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon Sambal
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce 
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce

In a small bowl, add all ingredients.  You can use immediately, but if you make it before you start assembling your pot stickers and stick it in the fridge to let the flavours marry, it tastes way better!

Asian Cabbage Rolls & Cucumber-Tomato Salad

Justin's made an Eastern-European style cabbage rolls a few times and we have a recipe for them here.  But ever since he did, I was thinking of other things we could stuff cabbage rolls with... and I instantly craved an egg roll-type pork filling.  Today I finally remembered to make it, along with a chopped vegetable Asian style salad.

Wow.  I first posted this using a song we already used.  That was smooth.  Let's go with something different.... and angry.  Paint It Black doing "Labor Day".  Because sometimes... it feels like a nine to five death march.  -jen

ASIAN CABBAGE ROLLS
Prep Time:  15-20 minutes
Rest Time:  30 minutes
Cook Time:  35 minutes
Difficulty:  Medium
Makes:  About 12 rolls

• 1 pound ground pork
•  whole Napa cabbage leaves
• 1.5 cup Napa cabbage, chopped fine
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts, chopped
• 1/3 cup green onions, chopped fine (2-3 medium onions)
• 1/3 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 small jalapeño, finely diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 4 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon Sambal (Asian chili paste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

On a large cutting board or your counter, use a rolling pin to flatten the whole cabbage leaves, one
leaf at a time.  This will help with the rolling process.  Make sure to break down the ribs.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight.  Drain off any excess juice.  Lay two cabbage leaves out, slightly overlapping with the stems nearest you.  Measure 1/4-1/3 cup of the meat mixture and place in the center of the leaves.  Starting with the stems, carefully roll-up over meat, tucking sides in as you go.

Place rolls seam-side down in a 9x13 baking dish.  (Line with foil for easier clean up!)  Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, until pork is cooked thoroughly (160 degrees).

Serve with Asian Dipping Sauce (recipe below).






ASIAN DIPPING SAUCE
(It's like pot sticker sauce!)

• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons green onion (1 medium onion)
• 1/4-1/2 cup dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Sambal (Asian chili paste)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

CUCUMBER-TOMATO SALAD
Time:   15 minutes
Difficulty:  Easty
Makes:  about 4 cups

• 1 to 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (about 16)
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped (3 medium onions)
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• juice of 1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Split cumbers in half length-wise.  Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard.  Dice cucumbers.  Add remaining ingredients and toss.  If you can make this ahead of time, the taste improves after it rests a while. 

Red Cabbage & Broccoli Coleslaw

I really love red cabbage and its EXTREME CRISP!  (I just wanted to hop on the EXTREME bandwagon.)  So the night after Justin made Ribolita for dinner, I found we had all the fixings for a vegetable coleslaw using the leftover red cabbage!  I whipped out the box grater and went to town!  The slaw came out real tasty - we ate it with some pulled pork, good call there.  Simple, basic recipe - super easy.


When I think of coleslaw, I think of the south.  And so I was trying to think of some southern punk... and instead, my mind popped up with this song.  Not punk, obviously, but I got there by way of punk!  I woke up to Dylan's version on the radio this morning, thought about how I liked Ness' version better, and so somehow Social D wires crossed with southern food and if I ramble any more about how I get from one thought to another, I'm going to sound ridiculous.  Mike Ness - Don't Think Twice.  -jen

RED CABBAGE & BROCCOLI COLESLAW

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 small shallot, diced fine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional because of the celery salt, add to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 medium red cabbage, shredded
• 1 medium crown broccoli, shredded
• 4 medium carrots, shredded

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, Dijon, red wine vinegar, shallot, sugar, Old Bay, celery salt, and black pepper.  Whisk until combined.  Add cabbage, broccoli and carrot and toss until coated.

Tip: Make this the day before you want to eat it because the flavours meld deliciously once it refrigerates over night!

Ribollita

We've been having a lot of soup weather here in Humboldt lately so I decided to make some delicious Italian soup, ribollita, that I'd first tried a few months back.  The ingredients are cheap, it's simple to prepare, it makes a good amount, and it tastes heavenly.  If you like minestrone, then you'll love ribollita, as ribollita simply means "re-boiled" and is a classic Italian "day after minestrone" leftover soup.  It's a way to stretch another meal out of the leftover minestrone in a way that tastes very similar.  The bulk of the soup is veggies and almost any veggies you want can be used.  It really is a "toss whatever you have in the fridge that you need to use up" dish.

For tunes with this recipe I decided to go with some old school, New York Dolls, Chatterbox.  It's dirty, grungy, dissonant, and it's the very early 70's garage rock that would eventually become punk rock as it was known in the late 70's and early 80's.  -justin

Ribollita
Time: 3 hrs
Serves: 8
Difficulty: Easy

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp sea salt (or 2 tbsp kosher salt)
• 1/4 lb bacon, diced
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery 
• 1 tbsp capers
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 can (28 oz) whole pealed tomatoes in puree, chopped
• 4 cups roughly chopped cabbage
• 3 cups roughly chopped kale
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 can white beans
• 3 cups bread cubes
• freshly grated asiago cheese

In an 8qt dutch oven, or similarly large soup pot, heat the oil. Add the diced bacon and onions and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.  Add the carrots, celery, capers, garlic, salt, ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.  Continue cooking over medium-low heat for an additional 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.  Add the tomatoes with their puree, cabbage, kale and basil and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.

Drain the beans, reserving the liquid, and add half of the whole beans to the veggies.  Puree the other half of the beans in their liquid and add to the stock pot along with the 6 cups chicken broth.  Bring the soup to a boil and reduce to a low simmer for 1.5 hrs.  Add the bread to the soup and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Taste for seasoning and serve hot with a little drizzle of olive oil and the grated asiago.