Sesame-Spiced Turkey Meatballs and Smashed Chickpea Salad

Seamus and I have both been VERY busy this summer. Between our jobs, visitors, and gorgeous Seattle summer, we have barely had any time to just relax and spend time together in the kitchen. We both got home early from work tonight, so we thought it would be fun to try to make this meatball recipe together.

We stopped at the local fancy grocery store (Metro Mart) on our way home to look for Sumac spice, but unfortunately they didn't have it. I googled for substitutions, and decided to use a mixture of lemon rind and salt as a substitute in this dish.

Sesame-Spiced Turkey Meatballs and Smashed Chickpea Salad

Courtesy of Deb Perelman in the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients

Meatballs
1 pound ground turkey
2/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
Olive oil to coat pan

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl with a fork, breaking up the clumps of meat until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Form turkey mixture into golf ball sized balls and arrange them on a tray. Wet hands help them from getting sticky.

Heat a generous slick of oil in a large ovenproof saute pan with a lid. Brown the meatballs in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan or nudge them before they are nicely browned. Transfer the meatballs to a paper towel lined tray and continue to brown all meatballs.

Discard the oil and wipe all but a thin layer from the pan. Return all of the meatballs to the pan, and transfer to preheated oven. Bake until a thermometer read an internal temperature of 160 to 165 degrees, or about 10-15 minutes.

Salad Ingredients

1 and 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
one handful of pitted, halved, and very thinly sliced green olives
1/2 teaspoon ground sumac, plus more for garnish
Chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, minced
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon table salt
olive oil

Directions

Mix everything but the olive oil in a small to mid-sized bowl. Very lightly smash the chickpea mixture with the back of a fork. Dress the chickpea with a drizzle of olive oil and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Khao Phat Muu

When Seamus and I were considering moving out to the Pacific Northwest, we decided to take a trip to Portland to check it out. We had a fabulous time there hanging out in the bars, restaurants, and parks, and one of our favorite experiences was eating at Andy Ricker's Thai restaurant called Pok Pok. From the drinking vinegar to the chicken wings to the amazing ambiance, we had a great time. When I saw Andy's cookbook at our local library, I knew that I needed to check it out!

Many of the recipes in this book are extremely complicated, filled with obscure ingredients and multiple steps. This recipe is simple, yet delicious. It reminded Shea and I both of the classic take-out Chinese fried rice, but with a fresher and (obviously) Thai spin on it. Suffice to say, I loved it!

Khao Phat Muu

Courtesy of Pok Pok by Andy Ricker

Ingredients
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon Thai thin soy sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Pinch ground white pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg at room temperature
1 ounce peeled small shallots, preferably Asian or very small red onions halved and sliced with the grain (about 1/4 cup)
11 grams peeled garlic cloves halved lengthwise and lighting crushed into small pieces (about 1 tablespoon)
4 ounces boneless pork shoulder, sliced against the grain into approximately 1/8th inch think bite-sized pieces
2 cups Kaho Hom Mali (Jasmine rice); preferable day-old
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions, lightly packed, plus a pinch for finishing
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped cilantro, lightly packed

To serve alongside
8 or so 1/4 inch think slices of firm cucumber
1 lime wedge
Phrik Naam Plaa (Fish sauce-soaked chilies)


Directions
Combine the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and pepper in a small bowl and stir well.

Heat a wok over very high heat, add the oil, and swivel it in the wok to coat the sides. When it begins to smoke, crack in the egg (it should spit and sizzle violently and the whites should bubble and puff) and cook without messing with it until all but the center of the whites have set, about 15 seconds. Flip the egg (it is fine if the yolks break) and push it to one side of the wok (up the wall of the wok is fine). Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring them (but not the egg) often, until they have lightly browned, about 1 minute.

Add the pork, stir everything together well, and stir fry (constantly stirring, scooping, and flipping the ingredients) until the pork is no longer pink on the outside, about 30 seconds.

Add the rice and stir fry, breaking up the egg a bit, for 30 seconds. Add the fish sauce mixture (add a splash of water if needed to make sure nothings left behind in the bowl) and continue to stir fry until the pork is just cooked through and the flavors have permeated the rice, a minute or so more.

Turn off the heat, stir in the 2 tablespoons of green onions, and transfer the rice to a plate. Top with the cilantro and remaining green onions, and serve with the cucumber slices on the edge of the plate, the lime wedge for squeezing, and the fish sauce soaked chilies in a small bowl to spoon on top.