When we see the first scallions of the season at farmers’ market, it is time for this dynamic duo!
These two recipes combine for a delicious meal designed to enliven your meal planning. We use a pound each of pork & beef to make a double batch of these meatballs. If that feels like a lot to you, then halve the recipe or make and freeze the extra meatballs.
These meatballs are excellent year-round in soup, served alongside roasted winter veggies or paired with our favorite scallion pancakes. We love to add sauteed greens and mushrooms to the pancake recipe. Though delightful fresh, these pancakes can also be reheated for lunch, so don’t worry about having leftovers!
Both of these recipes are inspired by Asian cooking. Gyoza is an Asian dumpling, originating in China before becoming a staple in Japanese cuisine. In the US, these are commonly sold as a “potsticker,” or “potstickers”. This recipe combines the flavors of the tasty filling of the potstickers in an easy to make and devour, meatball form.
Gyoza Inspired Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed & finely chopped
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb Apple Creek organic ground beef
- 1 can water chestnuts, minced
- 4 scallions, very thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 tbsp chopped chives (dried or fresh)
- 2-3 tsp grated fresh ginger root*
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced*
*We love the combination of ginger and garlic. Feel free to use less of each to your own taste.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and aminos to the pan; cover and steam until soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside until cool to the touch.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the cooled mushrooms, meat, water chestnuts, scallions, chives, ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, sesame oil, and garlic.
- Place in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes or up to overnight. (Chilling makes the balls easier to roll. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip the chilling step.)
- Mix all the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl. Store in the fridge, but eat at room temperature for the best flavor.
- Use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon to measure out the meat and roll into a ball between your palms. Line up the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart.
- Slide the meatballs into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
- Serve hot with dipping sauce for dunking alongside the scallion pancakes (below).
Scallion Pancakes
We got this recipe, a simplified version of a Korean scallion pancake from our friends at Double Bit Farm during their tenure as MOFGA’s farmers-in-residence. We joined their CSA in our early years of farming when we spent our summers working full-time and farming after work, before we had ready access to farmers’ markets each week.
It has become a mainstay of our summer menu, as it can be easily modified and the batter prepped at lunchtime for a faster dinner prep. We generally make a double batch to ensure leftovers!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 3 organic eggs
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup water
- 4-7 scallions, chopped
- ¼ cup mushrooms and or seasonal greens, finely chopped (optional)
Directions
- Mix the flour, salt, pepper in a medium bowl.
- Combine 3 eggs with the vegetable oil and water in another bowl and beat until blended.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and beat until smooth
- Stir in the scallions, mushrooms & greens (if desired) until incorporated
- Generously grease a skillet with grass-fed fat or vegetable oil, heat until a drop of water on surface pops and hisses
- Add batter in ½ cupfuls, fry until golden brown
- Place cooked pancakes on a cooling rack atop a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven until all are cooked
- Serve with a dipping sauce of ½ cup soy sauce, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp red wine vinegar
