David Ross

I really appreciate your thought process and sharing the steps with us. I've learned a lot from your experience and, as always, our discussions during these Cook-Off's.

Well, after my depression over the sloppy presentation, (although the flavors were delicious), of the lamb merguez meatballs, I found success with a Japanese-style meatball. In the past year I got hooked on "Dining with the Chef" produced by NHK of Japan. It runs on one of our local PBS Stations and there are countless videos on YouTube. Their website provides lots of recipes with photo instructions. So the morning after the lamb merguez meatballs, I was sulking and then an episode of Dining with the Chef came on and wouldn't you know, they were preparing fried pork meatballs with vegetable tempura. The meatballs are very soft and delicate and so you have to go softly when rolling them in cornstarch and deep-frying. But they are very tender to the bit and have subtle flavors. I served a small dipping bowl of soy sauce, but it's not needed and too salty. Next time I'll just serve the meatballs with a wedge of fresh lemon like they do in the recipe. I don't think I've ever made tempura, which I know takes a lot of practice to get right. But using a boxed tempura flour and following the lead of Dining with the Chef, the tempura came out very good and I liked the sweet flavors of the asparagus and yellow zucchini with the meatballs. Definitely a meatball to add to your recipe collection.

Two weeks ago I was doing a private home cooking class teaching folks how to make meatballs and marinara sauce. The host went into her pantry and come out with this bag of beans. She asked me if I had ever heard of Rancho Gordo. What a wonderful moment. She had no clue I was a volunteer staff member at eGullet and didn't know the background of Rancho Gordo. I told her the story and then she asked me if I had ever made cassoulet. Then she asked me to do another private home cooking class on Cassoulet. How lucky can I be? She's ordering more of the cassoulet beans for our class and it will be wonderful to share the story with the other students. I'm getting started on the duck confit for the cassoulet.

The Lamb Merguez Meatballs turned out to be delicious, but this photo doesn't do the dish justice. My tastes are typically on the mild side, but this batch could have used some more heat from the harissa and a few more chipotle chilies thrown into the mix. I was impatient at the store and couldn't find pita bread, so went with this flatbread I found. The lettuce was fine, but I also think thinly sliced cabbage with a quick pickle or vinaigrette might work better. It's eaten like a wrap, or imagine stuffed into a pita. So the meatballs are very good, but my presentation this time was meh. Here's the recipes: Cucumber Raita- 2 cups yogurt, (I used plain yogurt as I haven't acquired a taste for Greek yogurt) 1/2 a bunch of cilantro, chopped 1 tsp. cumin seed Juice of one lemon 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced 2 tbsp. each chopped mint and basil Salt and black pepper Mix everything together and chill. Harissa- 8-10 dried red chilies, seeds removed (I buy them at the Mexican grocery store and just use whatever I have on hand) 3 cloves garlic cloves, minced 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. ground coriander 1 tsp. caraway seeds 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. smoked paprika Salt and black pepper Reconstitute the dried chilies in boiling water and let sit for about 30 minutes. In a blender, combine the drained chilies, garlic, olive oil and spices and blend to make a paste. (I add some of the chili water to thin the harissa). Lamb Merguez Meatballs- 1 1/4 tsp. fennel seeds 1 pound ground lamb 1/2 pound ground pork 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 tbsp. harissa 1 chipotle pepper in vinegar sauce 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander 2 tbsp. chopped mint 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro 2 tbsp. chopped basil 2 tsp. lemon zest Salt and black pepper Olive oil Mix together the lamb, pork and all of the spices and seasonings. Form into meatballs. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs, then into a 375 oven for about 25 minutes to finish.

Funny you should post about the meatballer. I was just thinking the other day how my meatballs are more 'rustic' than round. I don't mind, but I'd love to have a tool like this when the more 'round' meatball shape strikes me. I'm finishing up the harissa sauce this morning to blend into my lamb merguez meatballs. I'll serve it with lettuce and cucumber raita, still haven't decided on pita bread or naan.

I really like making the roast poblano crema as it takes me out of the realm of my standard salsas.

Carne Asada street tacos with pico de gallo and roasted poblano crema. This is one of my favorite meals. This time I chose flat iron steak instead of hangar steak or flap meat. It was actually quite good and very tender. Skirt steak and hangar steak have gotten so popular that it now sells for $10.99 per lb. At least up here in Eastern, WA. The marinade for the meat was charred onion and garlic, lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, a little orange juice, salt, pepper, cilantro and some chili powder. I only marinated the steak about 3 hours because I find if it goes longer the lime juice starts to cook the meat, aka ceviche and it turns gray in color. This time of year up here we have to use Roma tomatoes from down South for our pico de gallo. (Actually we don't see home grown tomatoes until late July). In addition to diced onion and cilantro, I add garlic, lime juice, salt, pepper and a bit of chili powder and minced jalapeno. The poblano crema is really delicious. Just broil the poblano to blacken the skin. Let it sit in a paper bag to steam off the skin, then puree with cilantro, charred garlic and onion, minced jalapeno, salt, pepper and Mexican crema. It's the consistency of a thick herb mayonnaise. It's also delicious on both hot grilled chicken and cold chicken.

Wow that looks delicious. What is the bright red-purple condiment? I'm putting together my shopping list for my lamb merguez meatballs. I've made them for years as a filling for tacos, sort of a North African-Mexican dish I suppose. I'm turning the recipe into meatballs and will probably stuff them inside some type of bread. I like pita bread, but I prefer naan bread so I might see if I can grill the naan and then cut a slit into it for stuffing in the meatballs. I think I'll probably make cucumber raita as a condiment. And by the way your greek salad also looks delicious.

That sounds delicious. I always keep tamarind paste on hand. I shocked myself the first time I used the tamarind paste in a Thai-style seafood stew. Way to pungent and sour, but once I played with it and the other sweeter ingredients I'll never do that dish without tamarind. Your dish sounds wonderful.

I agree. I can just taste that wonderful sticky sauce.

Thanks. Pretty fiery hot but the flavors and textures are fantastic. It would surprise a lot of folks up here in Spokane to see something like this on a restaurant menu. We have a few Thai restaurants, but I don't think they are this adventurous. Although there are a lot of ingredients, it's a pretty cheap dish and easy to prepare, just takes time. I did the sauce a day in advance, and made the prawn mixture in the morning and kept it refrigerated until frying.

I crafted my version of a Thai green curry a few years back and I normally use it in a dish with grilled whole body prawns. But I wanted to venture beyond my Italian-American meatballs and try Asian style prawn balls. I used a recipe from one of my older Chinese cookbooks, but added some additional ingredients. I minced the prawn meat in the food processor, but only a few pulses because I didn't want to mush it into a paste. I like deep-fried foods really crunchy, so I rolled the prawn balls in panko and deep-fried in canola oil at 350. I don't think my family and friends would like them--the texture, the unfamiliar flavors, the thought of ground prawn meat. Probably not for them but I think you all would enjoy this dish. Funny, but the Thai green curry recipe started a few years back with just using the recipe on the back of the little jar of Thai green curry paste you can buy in all the supermarkets. Then I add all sorts of additional things, notably some hot yellow Thai curry paste, pickled Thai bird chiles, and lots of cilantro, Thai basil and mint. This time it was way too spicy hot for my tastes, but I'm sure many would like it. The garnishes are red pepper threads that I buy at a local Korean grocery store, chopped peanuts and cilantro and lime wedge. Prawn Balls- 1 1/2 lbs. shelled prawns 1/2 tsp. fish sauce 1/2 tsp. soy sauce 1 tsp. minced lime zest 2 tsp. minced ginger 2 tsp. minced garlic 1 tbsp. chopped green onion 1 tsp. Chinese rice wine 1 tsp. minced pickled Thai bird chilies 1 beaten egg white 2 tsp. cornstarch Dash white pepper and salt Panko breadcrumbs Canola Oil Pulse the prawns in a food processor, then add the additional ingredients and pulse just to combine. Refrigerate the prawn ball mixture to chill it, about 4 hours. Heat canola oil in a deep-fryer or deep pot to 350. Form the prawn mixture into meatball shapes and press in panko breadcrumbs. Deep-fry the prawn balls for about 4 minutes until golden brown. I used bamboo skewers for the prawn balls. Thai Green Curry Sauce- 1 tbsp. canola oil 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil 1 tbsp. minced garlic 1 tbsp. minced ginger 1 can coconut milk 3 tbsp. Thai green curry paste 3 tbsp. Thai yellow curry paste 2 tbsp. brown sugar 1 tbsp. fish sauce 1 tsp. minced pickled Thai bird chilies 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice 2 tsp. minced lime zest 1/3 cup chopped cilantro 1/3 cup chopped Thai basil 1/3 cup chopped mint Chopped dry roasted peanuts Red pepper threads Lime wedges Cilantro Heat the oil in a large saute pan and add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk, green and yellow curry paste, brown sugar, fish sauce, chilies, lime juice and lime zest and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until all the ingredients are combined and sauce is bubbling. Stir in the cilantro, basil and mint. The sauce can be refrigerated and used the next day. I served the sauce cold with the hot, deep-fried prawn balls, garnished with peanuts, red pepper threads, lime and cilantro. I also use this sauce as the base for seafood stews and with grilled prawns.

Wouldn't you know that right when I wanted to take the photos last night of the prawn balls hot out of the deep-fryer, the camera battery went dead. So photos tonight, but the dish turned out well.

Well, I've got the dipping sauce finished, and I think I've got the prawn meatball mix about right. I'll be finishing my next dish tomorrow, Deep-fried prawn balls with a Spicy Thai Green Curry dipping sauce. Never made prawn or shrimp balls before, only shrimp toast so this was a new experience. I drew off some of my Chinese cookbooks, and surprisingly, one published in the 70's had the best recipe to start with. I've been making this Thai Green Curry for about 5 years now, and have used it with grilled or stir-fried prawns. Although it got way above my personal heat taste index, I think it will be delicious. Stay tuned for photos tomorrow!

Thanks for this. I'm a rookie when it comes to Lion's Head Meatballs, but it's on my list for this cook-off. Thanks for the details.

Our local Safeway stores usually have ground veal and another store usually has it frozen but neither store had it this past week. I actually think I prefer the mix with lamb. And I also use the meatball recipe to make meat loaf, also delicious.

My go-to meatball recipe with tomato sauce. I use a mixture of ground beef, veal and pork. Although this time I couldn't find ground veal so I used ground lamb and it was delicious. I like using the mixture of three meats for a different flavor from just beef. And I use a traditional technique of adding white bread soaked in milk for a binder, which makes the meatballs incredibly soft. The tomato sauce is my modification of a Batali recipe and is best if you take two days to make it--the tomato sauce on day one to let the flavors develop. Then day two you fry some garlic in olive oil, add red chile flakes, white wine and then the tomato sauce. I thought that I would try something different than spaghetti this time, so I made some "corn meal mush." I say that tongue in cheek because today we would say "polenta," but I use yellow cornmeal in a box from Albers Mills and the recipe on the back is for corn meal mush. They've been in business for decades and it's still my favorite recipe. It's just cornmeal and water with a little salt, but I substitute chicken stock for the water. I spread the hot polenta in a glass baking dish, chilled it, then cut it in rounds and sautéed in butter to use as the base for the meatballs. I actually think I like these little fried polenta cakes almost as much as pasta. Tomato Sauce- 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 3 cups canned San Marzano tomatoes 3 tbsp. tomato paste 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil 1/3 cup chopped fresh oregano 1 tbsp. sugar Salt and pepper Saute the onions in the olive oil, then add the other ingredients and cook over medium-low heat for about one hour. Then blend the sauce in a food processor, pour into a container, cover and refrigerate overnight. 3 tbsp. olive oil 5 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp. dried red chile flakes 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 cups of the tomato sauce Saute the garlic and the chile flakes in olive oil, then add the wine. Let the wine reduce a bit, then add the tomato sauce. At this point I turn the heat to low, partially cover the sauce with a lid and let the sauce cook until I'm ready to put the meatballs in. Meatballs- 2/3 cup milk 3 slices white bread, crust cut off 2 tbsp. olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 lb. ground veal 1/2 lb. ground pork 1/2 cup ricotta 1/4 cup grated parmesan 2 eggs 2 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley 1 tbsp. chopped fresh marjoram 2 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano salt and black pepper Olive oil Soak the bread in the milk. Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil just until the onion is tender, about 2 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the soaked bread, onions and garlic and all the other ingredients and mix really well. Form into meatballs and saute in olive oil until the meatballs are browned. Turn the meatballs into the tomato sauce, and cook until the meatballs are done, about 20 minutes. I served the meatballs on fried "polenta" and then garnished with some of the tomato sauce and grated parmesan.

I'm doing my traditional meatballs today, but I'm working on my next recipe. I'm planning on doing prawn balls, and I'm thinking lemongrass, ginger and garlic for the mixture. Maybe some fish sauce and a bit of soy. Any other Asian herbs or spices I might want to include?

For 29 years now I've tried to duplicate a recipe for "Szechuan Beef" from a restaurant in Portland, Oregon. I worked at a small advertising agency near KGW TV Studios and we would walk across the street to a place I think was called Yum Len. It's long closed and no records exist. I've got the beef marinade and coating where I want it. Marinated in cornstarch, soy sauce and Chinese wine. The coating is half cornstarch and half potato starch, and the beef is deep-fried crispy then tossed in the sauce. As I remember it, the sauce was sweet and had soy sauce flavors, yet not too hot. It didn't taste like a chili sauce and I don't recall if there was a dusting of Szechuan peppercorns. I've tried many online recipes for Szechuan beef, crispy beef, crispy orange beef and Peking beef, but nothing really matches the sauce for those years ago. Does anyone have a recipe for something along the lines of Szechuan beef?

That's delicious and I like your choice of pasta.

So far I'm planning on doing my favorite meatballs ala Italian-American style combining ground beef, veal and pork. They stay incredibly moist due to soaking white bread in milk and putting that in the mix. Then probably something with ground lamb and an attempt at fish balls in some sort of fragrant broth.

Hey, anybody know what this is? The photo was sent to me via our Facebook page from a lady who was wondering what it is and how to use it. With the scissors hands I'm a bit confused, but the baskets on the top of the contraption almost make it look like it's used for separating yolks from whole eggs?

It's interesting up here regarding elk meat. I prefer wild elk meat, especially the loin. Very sweet, deep red, lean and really only a hint of gaminess. My favorite wild game meat. Typically hunters will mix it with a bit of pork fat to just keep the meatballs moist. I don't like to add any other type of ground meat to wild elk because it spoils the flavor of the elk. On the other hand, since the USDA doesn't allow the sale of wild game meat, any elk meat sold in our local butcher shops is farm-raised. So we're in the land of many hunters harvesting wild elk, but we also have a growing trade in farm-raised elk. I visited a butcher in North Idaho last week and he told me there are a number of elk farms in the area. In addition to all types of sausages and smoked elk products, he's got ground elk meat so I'll head over these this week for the fixins for some meatballs.

It's quite appropriate that the Swedish Chef from The Muppet Show introduces the 75th Cook-Off in our series, eG Cook-Off 75: Meatballs. From the cafes of Stockholm, to the street stalls of Hong Kong and dinner tables across America, we love meatballs. Cooked in a thick, tangy sour cream sauce with lots of fresh dill, stewed in a spicy red sauce and served over spaghetti or my favorite, North African lamb merguez meatballs served with a cool cucumber raita sauce, meatballs span the global culinary map. Now while we often associate meatballs with large farm animals like cattle, swine and sheep--poultry, wild game and even seafood can be crafted into delicious meatballs. Elk meatballs served with huckleberry compote are a specialty of hunters throughout the wilds of Eastern Washington where I live. We might go trendy today and make French meatballs from minced duck and squab meatballs studded with pistachios and doused with cognac. So you see, meatballs open up our creativity and a hearty discussion in celebration of 75 delicious cook-offs. See our complete Cook-Off Index here: https://forums.egullet.org/topic/143994-egullet-recipe-cook-off-index/

So many wonderful dinner dishes in this thread. A very easy steak dish--New York strip that I sear for 3 minutes each side in a cast iron pan, then into a 425 oven for another 4 minutes per side for a total of 14 minutes total cooking. My go-to easy red wine sauce--saute shallots or onion in a bit of butter, add 1 cup red wine, garlic, bay leaf, black peppercorns, rosemary and thyme and reduce by about 1/2. Then in goes about 1 1/2 cups rich beef stock and cook down again, then strain. In goes a little more butter and I thicken the sauce with Wondra and strain again. The "frizzled" onions are something I did back in 2001 for one of my dishes on MasterChef USA on PBS. Yellow onion cut into thin slices, then soak in milk. Dredge in your favorite flour mix, then in 350 oil and deep-fry about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. I used to just serve big steaks, but now prefer them sliced.