Thai Meatballs-Your New Best Friend

I can't describe the pure joy in making stuffed wontons, but it isn't the wonton itself as much as it is the ingenius way the ingredients can be used in other ways and repurposed for later use. The true rockstar of this concert is the pork meatball, what I call the Thai meatball, tucked into the folds of a protective wonton wrapper. It puts frozen wontons to disgrace and the difference is enough to make you don a scarlet W on your breast for shame should you have to sacrifice or settle for less.

Now, I admit, the effort to make your own meatball stuffed wontons for Wonton Soup or Pork and Tofu soup which sports nothing but it's bare meatball as the star of the show, is a bit of a time-stretch for the already overburdened parent or busy independent, but I can tell you that with a little planning and maybe an extra pair of helping hands, this potential "together" event will make it all worthwhile. In the end, you will have meatballs for soup and if you go the distance, stuffed wontons and meatballs which will store perfectly well in the freezer until you need them. First round of effort, making the meatballs, second round of effort, fast, wholesome food that can be whipped up in under ten minutes. Now, that sounds rewarding, doesn't it?

In my kitchen, where I have the luxury of a soux chef by way of my delightful ( and quite delicious himself, I might add) husband, Frank, we turned out two trays of meatballs in about 40 minutes. Not such bad prep time, even for myself, the biggest dilly dallier of them all. Here's how we do it:

Meatballs
1 lb beef round, cut or cubed into managable pieces
1.5 lb pork tenderloin, cut or cubed into managable pieces
16 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
caramelized onions, recipe follows

Caramelized Onions
1 tbsp sesame oil, vegetable oil, butter or rendered fat
1 lg onion, diced

1. Caramelize the onions. Don't worry, you can't really screw it up unless you burn it and even then that may not be so bad. The reality of this is that we're looking for the flavor of the onions and as long as they are cooked down and golden brown, it isn't a big deal if they're a little crispy-burnt on the edges and I kinda like them that way. To do this, simply put a tbsp of oil, butter or fat of some kind in a medium skillet over high heat and add the diced onions. Stir every minute or two to keep them moving in the pan and also to keep them from sticking. This step takes about 10-15 minutes or so, but believe me, it's worth it. If pressed for time, do a quick sweat of the onions but the subtlety of flavor is better with caramelized onions. Set them aside to cool and begin the meatballs.
2. Make the meatball mixture. I grind the ingredients above in a medium sized food processor in two smaller batches. I start with the 8 garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp black pepper. I pulse to mince the garlic and then add half the beef and half the pork. If it's easier, you can do a ratio of one to one for the beef and pork, but I find that the extra pork in the ratio keeps the meatball tender. No need to overgrind the meat so once you've got it ground, transfer meat mixture to a large bowl and repeat step 2 for your second batch with the remaining ingredients.
3. Make the meatballs. Add the caramelized onions to the meat mixture and once incorporated, begin making meatballs with either your hands or a small spoon or mellon baller and drop them onto a metal cookie sheet. Two mellon ballers and a helper makes short work of this step. Once done, keep out what you need for tonight's meal, if any, and place the rest of the cookie sheet(s) in the freezer for 20 minutes to flash freeze. This step allows the meatballs to set and freeze separately. This way, you can store them in a freezer bag or container and take out only what you need instead of having to defrost a big block of meatballs because they won't come apart. Been there, done that. This way works for me.

Tip: If cooking meatballs for soup or stew, they will float to the surface when fully cooked and can be tossed in fully frozen, no thawing necessary. How cool is that? Remember, too, that pork is the other white meat but also tends to maintain some pinkness when cooked correctly. Don't overcook it thinking the beef is still rare. Truly, when they float, they are done.