Jan 6

Jan 6 Meatballs and Broccoli

Chinese takeout Beef and Broccoli reimagined with meatballs and a few unexpected flavors.

Meatballs and Broccoli

Serves 4 - 6

This dish began as a reimagining of the Chinese takeout Beef and Broccoli I grew up with. A little experimentation and a few new flavors added and this is the final product. Juicy, bouncy meatballs and tender broccoli wrapped in a savory, silky sauce. It has all of the vibes of Beef and Broccoli with a few flavor changes that are most definitely not Chinese but very tasty.

“Recipe Tips:

1. Substitute the broccoli for cauliflower or garlic chives when they are in season.

2. The cucumber salad is made of sliced cucumbers tossed with chopped garlic, wasabi paste, rice vinegar, salt and white pepper.”

Ingredients

Dashima broth

250ml (1.25 c) water

3g dashima

Meatballs

1 T vegetable oil

100g (½ medium) onion, finely chopped

100g (6 - 7) scallions, white and greens finely chopped

15g (1 T) ginger, minced

6 garlic cloves, minced

454g (1 lb) ground beef

454g (1 lb) ground pork

4 T dashima broth

2 T oyster sauce

1 T maesil

1.5 t kosher salt

1 t ground sancho pepper

1 t ground black pepper

0.25 t ground nutmeg

0.25 t MSG- optional

Sauce

2 t vegetable oil

200g (1 medium) onion, sliced 0.25 in thick + remaining ½ onion

0.25 t ground cinnamon

Remaining dashima broth

125ml (0.50 c + 2 T) soy sauce

100ml (0.50 c) mirin

70ml (1/3 c) water

63ml (0.25 c + 1 T) sake or soju

1,135g (2.5 lbs) broccoli, cut into large florets, stem trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces

Slurry

2 t potato starch

4 t water

Recipe Know-how

Dashima broth

1. Bring the water to a boil.

Add the dashima and cover.
Allow to stand off heat until cool.

Meatballs

2. In a medium saute pan add the oil, onion, scallion, ginger and garlic with a pinch of kosher salt.

Place over medium heat.
Cook stirring occasionally for 7 – 10 minutes or until the onion and scallion have softened and are beginning to caramelize.
Cool completely.

3. In a large mixing bowl place the ground meat, remaining meatball ingredients and cooled onion mixture.

Using your hands, mix until well combined.
Vigorously stir in one direction for 1.5 minutes.
Lift the meat mixture out of the bowl and “throw it back” into the bowl repeatedly for about 1.5 minutes.

The vigorous mixing and “throwing” (in addition to omitting any binding agents) helps the meat to remain moist and have structure while retaining moisture during cooking.

Allow the mixture to marinate/stand for 15 – 30 mins before shaping.

Allowing the mixture to marinate is an optional step, but recommended.

Preheat oven to 230 C / 450 F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Using damp hands, divide and round the meat mixture into 40g (2-oz) meatballs,

The mixture should make about 26 meatballs.

Heat the baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes.
Carefully remove the pan from the oven and place the meatballs on it.
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until browned.

Begin the sauce while the meatballs brown.

Sauce and Finishing

4. In a large deep pan, heat the vegetable oil.

Add the onions and cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until beginning to wilt.
Add the cinnamon and cook for 30 seconds longer.
Add all of the sauce liquids, including the hydrated dashima and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes uncovered.
Remove and discard the dashima.
Add the browned meatballs and any juices from the baking sheet to the pan and return to a simmer.
Simmer covered for 30 minutes over low – medium-low.
Add the broccoli and cook, covered for 3 minutes.
Stir together the slurry ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Check the broccoli, it should be just beginning to soften.
Add half of the slurry to the simmering broth and cook stirring often until thickened.

The sauce should be thickened just enough to thinly coat the back of a spoon and coat the meatballs and broccoli.
If necessary, add more of the slurry to reach the proper consistency.