ground pork

This twist on nachos doesn’t simply call for putting traditional <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021459-mapo-tofu">mapo tofu</a> atop tortilla chips. Instead, you’ll make a creamy, spicy, saucy version using blended silken tofu and all the usual mapo ingredients. Spoon the sauce atop layers of chips, add cheese, then bake it. You could certainly stop there, but finishing with some garnishes makes it especially festive. Save leftover sauce for another round of nachos or a half batch of <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021487-mapo-spaghetti">mapo spaghetti</a>. To double this recipe, bake on a large parchment or foil-lined sheet pan in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes. You can also make the sauce with lamb, turkey thigh or a plant-based meat alternative, in place of the ground beef or pork, if you like.

Mapo Tofu Nachos

(14- silken tofu

Sichuan peppercorns

neutral oil, oil

beef

doubanjiang (fermented chile bean sauce

douchi (fermented black beans, optional)

ginger

red-pepper flakes (optional)

soy sauce

granulated sugar, plus more as needed

salt

scallion,

cornstarch

corn tortilla chips (about 5 cups)

scallions,

pickled jalapeños, sliced (optional)

cilantro (optional)

Prepare the mapo tofu sauce: If the tofu came as a block in water, discard the water. Cut the tofu into large chunks, then use a stand blender or immersion blender to whirl the tofu into an ivory smoothie.

In a medium (3- or 4-quart) pot over medium heat, toast the Sichuan peppercorns for 2 to 3 minutes, until super fragrant and slightly darkened. (A wisp of smoke is OK.) Let cool briefly, then pound with a mortar and pestle or pulse in a spice grinder.

Prepare the remaining sauce ingredients and set them near the stove.

Warm the oil in the pot over high heat. When shimmering, add the meat. Stir and mash into cooked and crumbly pieces, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons doubanjiang, the douchi (if using), ginger and red-pepper flakes (if using). Fry about 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly, until the mixture is a rich reddish brown.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, then stir in the soy sauce and 1 rounded teaspoon sugar. Scrape in the blended tofu. (If there’s much left in the blender jar, add 1 tablespoon water and whirl to loosen it.) Stir to combine well, partially cover and bring to simmer. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to develop flavor throughout. Expect orange oil to appear on top.

Taste the sauce and if needed, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon doubanjiang (for heat), or a pinch of salt (for savoriness) or sugar (to tame heat).

Stir in the scallion, then add the cornstarch slurry and stir until thickened. Turn off the heat. Stir in half the crushed Sichuan peppercorns for a bit of zing. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to deepen flavor and color before using; a little lingering orange oil is normal. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups, which is twice the amount that you’ll need for this recipe; save the rest for spaghetti, more nachos or another use. (You can cool the sauce completely then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.)

Prepare the nachos: Heat a toaster oven (or standard oven) to 350 degrees. Line the baking pan of the toaster oven (or a small sheet pan) with parchment or aluminum foil, leaving a little overhang on two sides so you may later easily transfer the nachos. Arrange half of the chips on the pan, laying them flat; some overlap is fine. Use a spoon to strew a heaping 1/2 cup mapo tofu sauce onto the chips. Sprinkle with half the scallions, half the cheese and half the remaining Sichuan peppercorns. Repeat with the remaining chips, a heaping 1/2 cup mapo tofu sauce, the remaining scallions, cheese and peppercorns.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese completely melts and there is gentle sizzling. Remove from the oven, then lift the parchment paper or foil to remove the nachos from the pan, then use a spatula to carefully usher the nachos to a platter. Top with any combination of olives, pickled jalapeños and cilantro, if desired.

The BEST Swedish meatballs recipe! Made from a mixture of beef and pork, flavored with nutmeg and cardamom and served with a tasty Swedish Meatball sauce.

Swedish Meatballs

Tbsp butter

milk

bread

pork

black pepper

nutmeg

cardamom

Tbsp flour

beef stock

sour cream (use full-fat sour cream

Salt and pepper

"I made them few times now, my family especially my grandchildren love them,so dinner tonight is swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes.\r\nThank you for the recipe."

"Thanks to Elise for the recipe - but more so for providing the platform for many of your incredible peeps to share your family recipes and promoting the use of ALLSPICE. :) Big big thanks to Jane Keller Wilcox, Becky, Linda &amp; Lili for the sharing. Gonna be making two batches of swedish meatballs this coming week."

Soak bread in milk, shred: Place the cubed bread in a large bowl and mix with the milk. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes for the bread to absorb all of the milk. Once the bread has soaked up the milk, shred with the tines of a fork or by hand.

Sauté grated onion: Melt the butter in a sauté pan on medium-high heat. Stir in the grated onion and cook until translucent and softened, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute.

Make meatball mixture with bread, onions, eggs, meat, spices: Stir the cooled onions into the milk bread mixture. Add the eggs, ground pork and beef, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cardamom. Use your (clean) hands to mix everything together until well combined.
(If you have extra time, chilling the mixture for 20 minutes or so will make it easier to roll out the meatballs.)

Form meatballs: Use your hands to form the mixture into meatballs about 1 1/4-inch to 1 1/2-inch wide and place them on a plate or sheet pan. This recipe should make about 40 meatballs. Note that the meatballs will be a bit on the wet side.

Brown meatballs on all sides: Heat 3 Tbsp of butter in a large sauté pan on medium heat. When the butter is melted and foamy, start adding some meatballs to the pan.
Working in batches as to not crowd the pan, slowly brown the meatballs on all sides. Use a spoon or tongs to turn them. Handle the meatballs gently so they do not break apart as you turn them.
  
Once the meatballs have browned on all sides and are just cooked through, remove them from the pan to a bowl. You'll warm the meatballs in the sauce later.
Once you have removed the meatballs from the pan, wipe out the butter and browned and blackened bits with a paper towel and rinse out the pan.
We'll want to start with fresh butter because that way we won't pick up any burnt bits from the pan, and we will be able to more accurately gauge the amount of fat in the pan for making the meatball sauce in the next step.

Make a roux: To make the sauce, first make the roux. Add 3 Tbsp of fresh butter to the pan. Heat the butter in the pan on medium heat until it melts and starts to bubble up.
Slowly whisk in 3 Tbsp of flour. Stir until smooth. Continue to stir, allowing the flour mixture to cook, several minutes, until the roux is the color of coffee-with-cream.
  

Add stock to roux to make sauce: When the roux has cooked to a lovely shade of light brown, slowly add the stock to the roux, stirring as you add the stock.
The stock will sputter at first and the roux may seize up, but keep adding the stock slowly and keep stirring. Eventually the sauce will loosen and become silky.

Stir in sour cream and jelly if using: Remove the pan from heat and stir in the sour cream. If you are including jelly, either stir it in now or serve it on the side. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.)

Add meatballs to sauce: Return the meatballs to the pan with the sauce and cook on low heat to warm the meatballs through for a few minutes.

Serve: Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Or serve individual Swedish meatballs dipped in gravy as an appetizer.

"I have been making this recipe for YEARS and its one of our family favorites! It’s absolutely delicious. I always just bake the meatballs instead of spending the time doing batches in the pan - especially since you wipe out the pan before starting the gravy.  Also, I just noticed today that the recipe calls for one egg but you mention “eggs” when adding all ingredients to the ball. Just an FYI. To everyone considering making this recipe - DO IT. You will not be disappointed!"

"I swapped out the sour cream for heavy cream and I used cinnamon and nutmeg as well to help enhance the flavors. Raspberry jam was also used and it was a good touch.  Without the added spiced for me it falls a bit flat, but it was super yummy and easy to make. I also added garlic, cinnamon and nutmeg to my meatballs in place of cardamom."

"Fairly easy to make and if you follow exactly what the recipe says, they taste just like the ones I used to get at the Swedish Buffet in Minnesota a hundred years ago. Love it!\r\nI also serve it over Minnesota wild rice, YUMBO!"

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/video_src?vid=5978383284001

Authenticity is not the goal of this banh mi. Nor is coming up with a newfangled variation. This is a sandwich that, with quick work, maintains the porky-pickled-fiery essence of a classic banh mi with easy-to-find ingredients.

Shortcut Banh Mi With Pickled Carrots and Daikon

carrots

Persian, Kirby or European cucumbers

daikon radish

unseasoned rice wine vinegar

sugar

mayonnaise

scallions

sriracha

garlic cloves, finely chopped

Asian fish sauce

basil

lime

hero rolls

Fresh jalapeño, thinly sliced and seeded,

Mint sprigs,

Cilantro sprigs,

To make the pickled vegetables: In a bowl, toss together the carrots, cucumbers, daikon, vinegar, sugar and salt and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the pork. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon scallions and 1 to 2 tablespoons chili sauce, to taste. Cover tightly and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons scallions and the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add pork and cook, breaking up with a fork, until no longer pink, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon chili sauce and the fish sauce, pepper, salt and sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the basil, lime zest and lime juice. Let cool 5 minutes, then add mayonnaise mixture.

Fill bread with pork mixture. Press the jalapeño, mint and cilantro sprigs into the pork. Spoon some pickled vegetables onto the sandwiches and serve any extra alongside.

Adobo—both a style of preparation as well as the name of a dish—is one of the most widely known foods of the Philippines, often referred to as its national dish. To make adobo, which can be wet (very saucy) or dry (crispier and less soupy), pork, chicken, tubers, vegetables, squid, lamb, shrimp, or even duck, is simmered in vinegar, often with soy sauce, black peppercorns, and bay leaves. This recipe channels the same flavors of bright vinegar and dark soy sauce, using eggplant as the base, with the addition of ground pork for extra richness. 

Adobo-Style Eggplant

lb. eggplant (about 3)

1½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided

garlic

Tbsp. (or more) vegetable oil

Tbsp. coconut vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar

bay leaves

white rice (for serving)

Adobo—both a style of preparation as well as the name of a dish—is one of the most widely known foods of the Philippines, often referred to as its national dish. As Nicole Ponseca and Miguel Trinidad write in I Am a Filipino: And This is How We Cook, adobo originated as a preservation technique and “can be broadly defined as anything cooked in vinegar. […] Depending on the region, the province, the city, or even the cook, the dish changes due to the Philippines’ own ocean-to-farm-to-table foodways.” To make adobo, which can be wet (very saucy) or dry (crispier and less soupy), pork, chicken, tubers, vegetables, squid, lamb, shrimp, or even duck, is simmered in vinegar, often with soy sauce, black peppercorns, and bay leaves. This recipe channels the same flavors of bright vinegar and dark soy sauce, using eggplant as the base, with the addition of ground pork for extra richness. Although this dish will work well with any eggplant, try it in late summer when they reach their peak at the farmers market. Serve alongside plenty of steamed rice to sop up all the sauce.

Bon Appétit

Slice 1 lb. small Japanese or Italian eggplant (about 3) into quarters lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2"-wide pieces. Place in a medium bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Toss to evenly coat eggplant and let sit at room temperature at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Peel and thinly slice 8 garlic cloves. Add 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil and half of garlic to a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until light golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer garlic chips to a plate; season lightly with salt.

Place 4 oz. ground pork in same pot and break up into small pieces with wooden spoon. Season with ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt and cook, undisturbed, until deeply browned underneath, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to another plate, leaving fat behind in pot.

Place eggplant on a clean kitchen towel and blot away any moisture the salt has drawn out.

Working in batches and adding more oil if needed, cook eggplant in same pot until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate with pork.

Pour 1½ cups water into pot and scrape up browned bits from bottom with wooden spoon. Add remaining garlic, 3 Tbsp. coconut vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar. Bring to a simmer, then return pork and eggplant to pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until eggplant is tender and silky and sauce is reduced by half, 20–25 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper and add a little more sugar if needed.

Top with garlic chips and serve with cooked white rice.

These breakfast sausage patties are perfect for freezing, extra insurance toward future hangovers.

BA's Best Breakfast Sausage

sage

thyme

brown sugar

fennel seeds

red pepper flakes

garlic powder

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

pork shoulder (Boston butt)

Mix sage, thyme, brown sugar, salt, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika in a medium bowl. Add pork and work spice mixture into meat with your hands until it's very well blended.

Scoop out ¼-cupfuls of mixture and flatten into about ¼"-thick patties (they will plump slightly when cooled).

Griddle sausage over medium-high heat until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook 2 minutes more.

Do Ahead: Patties can be made 2 days ahead. Stack between parchment paper; cover and chill, or freeze up to 1 month.

These nuoc cham-inspired meatballs are perfect to fill lettuce cups topped with fresh basil or cilantro. (Add steamed rice for a more substantial meal.) The Ritz crackers here make for a juicier meatball, but feel free to substitute plain dry bread crumbs. To make the Ritz crumbs, place the crackers in a resealable plastic bag and lightly crush them with the back of a wooden spoon or measuring cup. For an easy dipping sauce, spike 1/4 cup mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil or soy sauce. And save any leftover meatballs: They're great simmered in chicken broth the next day. The ginger and garlic in them release their aromatics into the broth for a deeply flavorful soup base.

Pork Meatballs With Ginger and Fish Sauce

garlic (from about 3 large cloves)

fish sauce

Ritz crackers (12 crackers)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and use your hands to gently mix.

Shape the meat into 12 golf-ball-size rounds (about 2 inches in diameter) and arrange on a greased rimmed baking sheet.

Bake until golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

These mildly spiced meatballs are the essence of winter comfort food, just the kind of thing you’ll want to come in from a blustery day to enjoy. Serve them with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, if you want something sweet.

panko bread crumbs

unsalted butter

onion,

salt,

brandy

all-purpose flour

heavy cream

Dijon mustard, optional

eggs

garlic cloves,

allspice

cloves

Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed for drizzling

parsley

In a medium bowl, soak bread crumbs in warm milk while you prepare the onions.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir in onions and a pinch of salt and cook until pale golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer half the onions to a large bowl and set aside.

Prepare sauce: Add brandy to skillet with onions and ignite with a long match or igniter (or if you’re using a gas stove, just swirl pan, brandy should catch fire). Let flame die down, then add the remaining butter, letting it melt. Sprinkle in flour. Sauté until flour browns, about 3 minutes. Whisk in broth, cream and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Simmer, whisking, until reduced to a sauce, about 5 minutes. Add mustard, if you like, and season with more salt, if needed.

To large bowl with onion, add remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, soaked bread crumbs, beef, pork, eggs, garlic, pepper, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Roll into 1-inch balls (about 2 tablespoons each), placing them on one or two rimmed baking sheets as you go.

Heat broiler. Drizzle meatballs with oil. Broil meatballs, switching pans' positions if using more than one so they both get close to the broiler, until well browned all over, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with gravy, garnished with herbs.

These beef and pork meatballs are seasoned with a rich combination of ginger, allspice, cloves and nutmeg.

Gyoza are plump, Japanese dumplings typically filled with a mixture of ground pork, cabbage, chives, ginger and garlic. They originated as a spin-off of Chinese jiaozi, but they differ in many ways, particularly in how they are wrapped: Gyoza have very thin wrappers sealed with signature pleats, while Chinese jiaozi have thick wrappers that vary in how they are sealed. Throughout Japan, you can find gyoza steamed, pan-fried and deep-fried, and in recent years, lattice-edged dumplings have become popular. Made by pouring a slurry of flour and water into the pan with the dumplings, the water evaporates and the batter creates a crisp, lacy net. This pan-fried version is adapted from “The Gaijin Cookbook: Japanese Recipes from a Chef, Father, Eater, and Lifelong Outsider,” a collection of Japanese recipes from the chef Ivan Orkin, an owner of two ramen shops in New York. (Instructions for creating a lattice are below the recipe.)

Pan-Seared Gyoza

rice vinegar

oil oil

green cabbage (about 1/2 medium head)

garlic chives (nira) chives

sesame oil

Cornstarch or potato starch,

60 gyoza wrappers (about 12 ounces)

Neutral oil (such as vegetable or canola oil), for frying

Prepare the gyoza dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce and rice vinegar, plus chile oil, if using. Set aside (makes a generous 1/2 cup).

Finely chop the cabbage or process it in a food processor into confetti-size bits, then transfer it to a sieve set over a large bowl. Toss with 2 teaspoons of the salt and let sit for 20 minutes in the sink. Gently press the cabbage to squeeze out as much water as you can.

Combine the drained cabbage, pork, ginger, garlic, chives, soy sauce, sesame oil and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly just until everything is evenly distributed. (Don’t overdo it: Too much handling and the fat in the pork will begin to melt.)

Here’s where you want to employ some extra hands to help you: Fill a small bowl with water. Sprinkle a rimmed sheet pan or two with cornstarch or potato starch to prevent the finished gyoza from sticking. For each gyoza, place a wrapper in the palm of your hand and spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling into the center. Use the back of the spoon to smoosh it lightly (it should fill about half the wrapper). You don’t want the filling to run to the edges, but you also don’t want it sitting in a fat clump in the middle. Dip your finger into the water and run it along the perimeter of one half of the wrapper. Now fold the wet edge of the wrapper over to meet the dry edge. Crimp the edges together at one corner, then proceed around the dumpling, using your finger to push the dough into little pleats on one side and pressing them against the other side to seal it. (If you need more guidance, there are hundreds of gyoza-folding videos online.) Place the gyoza on the sheet pan as you finish them. If your gyoza seem to be sticking to one another, sprinkle each layer of gyozas with potato or cornstarch.

To pan-fry the gyoza, you will need a lidded 10-inch nonstick pan or a well-seasoned carbon steel pan. (You could also use whatever skillet you have, but increase the oil and keep a close eye on the gyoza.) Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in the pan over medium heat. When hot, add 10 to 15 gyoza, flat-side down, and cook until browned on the bottoms, 2 to 3 minutes. Add enough water to come just under a quarter of the way up the gyoza (about 1/2 cup, depending on how many gyoza you have in the pan), cover, and let the water cook away until the pan is dry and the gyoza wrappers have softened completely, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and let the gyoza crisp up on the bottoms for another minute or two, depending on how crisp you like them. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce and additional chile oil. Wipe the pan clean and cook the remaining gyoza. (Alternately, uncooked gyoza can be frozen on a baking sheet in a single layer until firm and then stored in resealable plastic bags for a couple months. To cook frozen gyoza, add a second batch of water in step 4 after the first batch evaporates.)

These classic Italian-American style meatballs are huge and pillowy soft! They're mixed with ground beef and pork, loaded with herbs and cheese, and served with a traditional tomato sauce. Make them baseball-sized for a dinner entree, or roll them smaller for an appetizer.

Italian Meatballs

beef (at least 16 percent fat)

milk (whole

ricotta cheese

grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

salt (or 2 teaspoons of kosher salt)

oregano

2-3 garlic cloves,

flour,

extra virgin olive oil

(24 ounces) tomato sauce (recipe follows,

onions

celery

garlic,

basil basil

tomato paste

Salt and black pepper

"Any tips for keeping the meatballs together while browning?  I went from 2.5lbs in 7 meatballs, to 2.5lbs of meat in sauce."

"I found this recipe yesterday online, shopped for ingredients I did not have this morning, followed directions and I have FINALLY found the right meatball recipe after 4 decades!?!?  The white bread I used is from a local grocer “The French Baker – Take and Bake Baguette” bread.  I scored the insides out of half of one baguette and then, used the outside for a meatball sandwich for lunch and then vermicelli and meatballs for dinner!  This recipe yielded 27 meatballs.  I put most of them on a cookie sheet, froze them, covered them in wax paper and then into snack sized zipper bags – 2 at a time.  Reheat frozen ones on low power level in microwave.  Delish!  Not hard nor chewy – QUTE tasty!"

Make the tomato sauce: Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and parsley. Stir to coat with the oil, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft and cooked through.
Remove the cover, add the garlic, and increase the heat to medium high. Cook the garlic for half a minute, then add the tomatoes (if using whole canned tomatoes, break up with your fingers as you add them to the pan). Add the tomato paste and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a low simmer, reduce the heat to low and let cook uncovered until thickened while you prepare the meatballs, 15 to 30 minutes.
Purée in a blender, or push through a food mill for a smooth consistency. Return to pan. Adjust seasonings.

Soak torn bread in hot milk: Heat the milk in a small pot until steamy. Turn off the heat, tear the bread into little pieces and soak it in the milk until it partially dissolves. Mash it until you get something that resembles a paste. Turn it out onto a plate to let it cool.

Make meatball mixture: In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, eggs, salt, parsley, oregano, black pepper, garlic cloves and the bread-milk mixture. Mix it well with your hands until it barely combines.
Don't overwork the mixture or it will become tough. It is OK to have some discernible bits of bread or meat in the mix; better that than overworked meatballs.

Form meatballs: Wet your hands and form the meatballs. A traditional size for this sort of meatball is 2-3 inches across, but you can make them any size you want.
Once you roll the meatball in your hands, roll it in the flour to give it a good coating. Set each one on a baking sheet as you work. You might need to rinse your hands a few times as you make the meatballs.

Brown meatballs: When all the meatballs are formed, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on at least two sides. Don't worry about the center getting cooked through, as you will finish these in the sauce.

Finish cooking meatballs in tomato sauce: Once all the meatballs are browned, arrange them in the sauce, turning each one over in the sauce to coat.
Cover the pot and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. Serve with the sauce and pasta or crusty bread. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley for garnish if you want.

"Did not have enough flavor .  The light coating of the flour before frying added a bitter taste .  I think I will stick to seasoned Italian bread crumbs without milk and no flour coating ."

"These meatballs are absolutely delicious!  Followed the recipe exactly.  The only change I will make next time is to lessen the amount of salt that gets added to the meatballs.  These are just on the verge of being a little too salty for us.  Still, a great recipe."

"My next door neighbor when I was growing up was old-world Italian and was a wonderful cook!  He made the best meatballs I've ever eaten and in spite of dozens of attempts to approximate those meatballs I've missed so much (he died about 15 years ago) no recipe ever came close...until this one!  What a blessing, thank you so much!!!!!  And it's so much easier than so many of the others I've tried.  One thing Frank always said (his name was \"Americanized\" when he came through Ellis Island), \"If you want a good meatball, use good bread!\"  He always used a good, hearty dense-crust Italian bread...it makes a difference!  I wish I'd made this when my tomatoes were still producing heartily in my back-yard garden!"

The fun and flavor of Cuban-style slow-cooked pork in zippy mojo sauce transformed into quick, weeknight-able meatballs. 

Mojo Meatballs

(packed) cilantro sprigs, divided,

panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

cumin

Diamond

Morton kosher salt, divided,

garlic cloves, divided

serrano chiles

red onions,

orange

limes

white rice and plantain chips (for serving)

Inspired by our love of zippy chile-and-garlic-packed Cuban mojo sauce, we transformed the fun and flavor of long-cooked mojo pork into quick weeknight-able meatballs. If you’re spice sensitive, split the chiles in half lengthwise and remove the seeds; they hold much of the heat.

Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 500°. Set aside ½ cup cilantro for making the sauce; finely chop remaining ½ cup cilantro. Lightly beat egg in a medium bowl to blend. Add panko, cumin, 1 Tbsp. oil, 2 tsp. sugar, and 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt and stir until panko softens and turns pasty. Finely grate 3 garlic cloves and 1 chile into mixture, add chopped cilantro, and mix well to combine. Using your hands, mix in pork until evenly distributed.

Toss onions with 1 Tbsp. oil on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast until wedges are well charred underneath, about 10 minutes.

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