Teriyaki Meatballs

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS

Sauce:
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (can use white vinegar as a sub)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Meatballs:
• 2 pounds lean ground beef or ground turkey
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup bread crumbs (I usually use panko)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk (use the lesser amount if using ground turkey)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Sliced green onions, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. For the sauce, in a medium bowl or in a liquid measuring cup, whisk together all the sauce ingredients until smooth (can use a blender for this, if desired). Set aside.
2. For the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients, except the 1 tablespoon oil and the green onions, and mix until well-combined (I usually ditch any utensil and just get my hands in there to do the mixing). Form the mixture into meatballs about an inch or two in size.
3. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot. Add the meatballs in a single layer to the hot skillet and brown on all sides, turning with a pair of tongs. The meatballs don’t need to be completely cooked through, just equally browned on all sides.
4. Pour the sauce ingredients over the meatballs and gently turn the meatballs to coat them in the sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook about 10-15 minutes, stirring every once in a while to carefully turn the meatballs and coat them in the sauce, until the meatballs are cooked through. If the sauce becomes overly thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time to thin.
5. Serve the meatballs and sauce over hot, cooked rice, quinoa or couscous, if desired. Garnish with green onions.

Notes from Jill's kitchen: For the first time in my life, I was able to brown meatballs in a skillet without them sticking to the pan and falling apart AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW I DID IT! Perhaps it was because I am using the electric stove at our new house and not the gas stoves I am used to (I don't see how that would make a difference)? Maybe I used more oil than usual (possible)? Maybe I had the temp lower than usual (possible, but not likely, since they still got pretty dark brown quite quickly)? How am I ever going to replicate this if I have no idea how I did it?! Here's to hoping it wasn't a fluke. It was delicious, though, although the meatballs themselves could use a little more flavor. I use ground turkey for meatballs and it tends to be bland, so some thinking must be done!