Scallion Meatballs

You know another website I love? Smitten Kitchen. The pictures are so pretty! How can you not want to eat everything on her blog when it's photographed so well? Unlike my crappy iPhone pictures. Bare with me. I'll get a better camera soon :) Or an iPad. Not sure which one I really, really need yet.

I've been in the cooking mood. Maybe more like a frenzy. School doesn't start for another week and I've got so many projects on my list to get done before then. Cooking and freezing a few great meals is one of my goals. These were so simple to make. Next time I'll probably bake them though instead of frying. It's better for you and I didn't like all the splattering on my arms. Other than that, there's absolutely no need to change anything about this recipe. It's perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze (taken from www.smittenkitchen.com)

Sauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce, preferably Japanese or reduced sodium
1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine), or 1/2 cup sake with 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup peeled, chopped ginger (I used half and it tasted like plenty to me; adjust to your preference)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 whole black peppercorns (no, I did not count how many I put in there)

Meatballs
1 pound ground turkey
4 large or 6 small scallions, finely chopped
Half bunch cilantro, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup) (the cilantro-averse can use flat-leaf parsley)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons sesame oil, toasted if you can find it
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil

Make sauce: Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar melts completely. Reduce heat to a medium-low and add soy sauce, mirin, ginger, coriander and peppercorns. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 30 minutes, though this took me a bit longer to reduce it until it was syrupy enough that I thought it would coat, and not just dribble off the meatballs. You can keep it on a back burner, stirring it frequently, while browning the meatballs in the next step. Once it has reduced to your satisfaction, strain through a sieve.

Make meatballs: Mix turkey, scallions, cilantro, egg, sesame oil, soy sauce and several grindings of black pepper in a bowl. I like mixing meatballs with a fork; it seems to work the ingredients into each other well. Roll tablespoon-sized knobs of the mixture into balls. The mixture is pretty soft; I find it easiest to roll — eh, more like toss the meatballs from palm to palm until they’re roundish — meatballs with damp hands.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, generously cover bottom of pan with vegetable oil. Working in batches to avoid crowding, place meatballs in pan and cook, turning, until browned all over and cooked inside, about 8 minutes per batch. Arrange on a platter (a heated one will keep them warm longer), spoon sauce over each meatball, and serve with toothpicks. Alternatively, you can serve the glaze on the side, to dip the meatballs.

Vodka Cream Sauce

I've developed a new obsession in a website called Pinterest. Have you heard of it? It's marvelous! Pictures, ideas, crafts, recipes, and much more all in one website. Check it out. You won't regret it!

This recipe came from Pinterest. Actually it's a "pin" from the Cooking Light website but I saw it first on Pinterest. So they get the credit :) So much lighter and easier to make than other vodka sauces I've eaten/made in the past. The sauce combines some of my favorite ingredients into a delicate sauce. Garlic, onion, alcohol, sea salt! Glorious! I also like how loose this sauce is. Dense ones are too heavy and this sauce is anything but heavy. One note though, do NOT try and substitute half-n-half for the heavy cream. It needs the cream. Trust me. So splurge on the 1/4 cup that's in it. It's really not that much.

Vodka Pasta Sauce (adapted slightly from the Cooking Light website)
Serves 2 to 3

1/4 pound angel's hair pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion OR 2 to 3 shallots
Scant 3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/8 to 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper OR 1 dried red chili, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup vodka
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup whipping cream
3 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil
Shaved or grated parmesan cheese, to garnish
Additional fresh basil leaves (optional)

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add vodka (when cooking with alcohol, there is always the chance of it catching on fire, so be very careful); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by about half. Stir in scant 1/2 teaspoon salt, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and let cool slightly.

If you have stick blender, you can now puree the sauce right in the pan (I prefer this way) Or, place tomato mixture in a conventional blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); and secure the lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters), and process until smooth. Return tomato mixture to pan.

Mix in cream, then cook the sauce for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked pasta and basil. Taste the pasta and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately.