Lemongrass Beef Meatballs

When I was at the Oregon Convention Center for the foodservice show, I stopped by a Japanese shop (Anzen Hiroshi's) that happened to be right across the street. I picked up a jar of lemongrass powder because I never have fresh lemongrass in the pantry. This recipe is fairly basic and uses this powder in lieu of fresh lemongrass. I made this to be an appetizer for a "stake" themed potluck. Since I had goose lard available that day, these were deep fried in an oil base of goose lard and EVOO.

Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the internal temp of the meatballs is 160 degrees F.

Makes 12 medium or 30 mini meatballs.

Ingredients

1 lb organic ground beef
2 tbsp lemongrass powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp organic granulated sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder

fresh lard and/or olive oil for frying

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix together: ground beef, garlic, soy sauce, black pepper, sugar, cornstarch, oyster sauce, sesame oil, lemongrass powder, and Chinese five spice powder.

2. Take a small portion of the meat and roll it into a ball. Set aside, and repeat until no more mix is left.

3. Heat lard and olive oil in a small saucepan. This works in small batches and you don't have to use much oil. Use a spoon to rotate the meatballs so they cook evenly. It shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes per batch on medium heat.

When the meatballs are evenly browned, check the largest meatball with a meat thermometer. Remove finished meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate and let the excess oil drain before final plating for serving.

Kitchen Note: Easy Veggie Wash

A 16 oz bottle of veggie wash from Amazon.com or other retailer will run you about $5/bottle. But why bother if you have these basic ingredients in the pantry? Wash vegetables to remove dirt, insects, pesticides, and wax.

Spray liquid:

2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2-3 tsp baking soda
1 c. filtered water

Washing liquid:

3 c. filtered water
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 tbsp sea salt

1 empty clean spray bottle

1. In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together lemon juice, baking soda, and 1 c. filtered water. Recipe can be doubled to match the volume of the spray bottle. Pour into a spray bottle.

2. In a large bowl, add vinegar and sea salt to three cups of filtered water. Spray vegetables with and let soak in washing bowl for 20-30 minutes. Rinse with clean water, dry with towels, and put away vegetables in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Chip Scones

The sweetness of the semi-sweet chocolate chips just overpowers the overall flavor of this scone, and the addition of the sugar is a bit much. These aren't as rich tasting as when using heavy cream.

Ingredients

2 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 c. buttermilk (can also use cream, yogurt, or buttermilk substitute)
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted cold butter, cut into pieces
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. organic granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

1. In a food processor, combine one cup of the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, and butter. Pulse until it resembles fine crumbs.

2. In a large bowl, add the butter/flour mixture to the remaining cup of flour. Stir in chocolate chips and dried cranberries until combined.

3. Gradually add in buttermilk and fold into batter until just combined. You may not need the entire amount of buttermilk.

4. Drop by rounded scoops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. These spread out and rise a bit, so space scones out at least 1" apart. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown.

5. Let cool on a wire rack.

Buttermilk substitute

up to 1 cup of whole milk
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Add the lemon juice to the milk and let stand for about 5 minutes. Use as you would buttermilk.

Curry sauce, version 2

There is a hint of sweetness with this flavor blend, even though there are no sugars in it.

1 tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin (cooking sake)
+ enough boiling water to cover the meat

1. As you would with any meat you're about to fry (e.g., chicken drumsticks), heat the olive oil over medium in a heavy bottomed pan that is large enough to accommodate all the chicken on a single layer. Once the oil is hot enough to swirl easily across the bottom, add the curry powder and five spice powder and cook for about a minute.

2. Add the chicken and lightly brown both sides of the chicken part. Add enough boiling water to cover the meat. And, lastly, add the soy sauce and mirin.

3. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the chicken for 45 minutes, or until the meat starts pulling away from the bone.

You'll have a lot of curry sauce leftover. I removed the chicken to a serving dish, and then added sweet potato chunks to the sauce and cooked that on medium heat for 20-30 minutes. The longer the potatoes cook for, the thicker the sauce becomes, so add more water if necessary.

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

I had enough dough leftover to make a small pizza, but was totally out of pizza sauce and didn't feel all that compelled to make more. I also had about 1/3 c. of leftover sausage and plenty of shredded cheese. I thought about making breadsticks. Instead, I came up with this:

a pizza roll stuffed with cheese and sausage

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

1. Using a pastry knife, divide the leftover dough into equal portions.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4" thickness. The shape doesn't matter, but it should be large enough to accommodate a few pieces of sausage, about 1 tsp of cheese, and whatever else (sliced olives, mushrooms, sliced basil leaves, etc).

3. Place the rolled out dough in the palm of your hand and add the ingredients in the center of the dough. Gather the edges of the dough to the top and pinch it closed. It's important that you don't try to stretch the dough with your fingers because if the dough is too thin, the sausage and cheese will try to poke through as it bakes and it won't look pretty. Shape into a ball and put fold side down onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until no more dough remains.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until it is lightly browned.

I dusted the tops of the rolls with garlic salt. I suppose you could also brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle on crushed fresh rosemary or thyme.