My favorite 15-year-old cooking buddy came over to help me create a recipe and make it… This is what we came up with.
A Thai-inspired dish with lots of fresh herbs and some heat! Cause Luke loves all things on the spicy side!
Recipe Supplies:
Meatballs:
- Ground Pork (1 lbs)
- Raw Shrimp (1 lbs) We did 1.3 since there was shells & tails on them.
- Basil (about 15-20 leaves)
- Mint (about 15-20 leaves)
- Chives (couple teaspoons chopped)
- Cilantro (1/3 bushel)
- Red Onion (1/4 of a good size onion)
- Panko (probably around a cup… if still too runny add more)
- Egg (1)
- Salt & Pepper (generous)
- Onion & Garlic Powder (generous)
- Cayenne (few dashes)
Sauce:
- Coconut Cream (1 can)
- Red Curry Paste (4 ounces)
- Kerrygold Butter (1/2 a stick)
- 1 Bottle Pinot Grigio (half a glass for the sauce… the rest for Luke’s mom)
- Shiitake Mushrooms (couple handfuls)
- Garlic (8-10 cloves)
- Lime 1-2 (enough wedges for however many bowls of pasta you want to serve)
- Mint (15-20 leaves)
- Basil (15-20 leaves)
- Cilantro (2/3 bushel)
- Red & Green Jalapeno (one of each)
- Ginger Root (grade a lot to taste)
- Salt & Pepper (generous)
- Onion & Garlic Powder (generous)
- Cayenne (few dashes depending how hot you want it)
- EVOO
Noodles:
- A couple of packages (enough to feed two 15 years olds and three old ladies)
Start with the Meatballs!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
If your shrimp have shells and tails, they will need to be removed, and the shrimp will need to be deveined. If you have a 15-year-old helping you, I would recommend that you make them do this super fun job.
Once the shrimp have been cleaned, they need to be chopped up into small pieces about the size of the tip of your pinky finger. This was another fun job to pass off to Luke with strict instructions not to cut the tip of any of his fingers.
Finley chop the red onion, basil, mint, cilantro, and chives for the meatballs. About as much as pictured below.
Once everything has been chopped, mix all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl (Listed above). If the meatballs are still a little runny from the egg, add a little more panko to the mix. Season generously! You won’t be able to taste test these, obviously, but I have found it’s pretty hard to overseason them (within reason).
Form the balls using your hands and do your best to make consistent-sized meatballs so that they all cook evenly. Place the balls on a lined cookie sheet spaced evenly apart (we ended up with around 18 balls). This will vary depending on the size of your hands. Put in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
While the meatballs are cooking, it is time to work on the sauce. Please note your meatballs will probably finish in the oven before you get to the point of adding them back into your sauce. Just let them rest on the counter until you reach this step.
Slice your shiitake mushrooms (make sure you remove the bitter stem), and mince your garlic.
Heat your Dutch oven to medium heat… once the pan is hot, add a little EVOO and saute your garlic. Add the mushrooms and add a little more oil shortly after (just enough to lightly coat the mushrooms). Let them cook down a bit to soften up (make sure to occasionally stir them so they cook evenly and don’t stick to your pan). Then add some white wine… turn down the heat just a little bit, and let everything reduce. Make sure to continue to stir occasionally.
Chop your peppers finely while your mushrooms are cooking. I always taste the peppers to see how hot they are since they vary greatly in heat. If they are mild, feel free to leave some seeds… if they are on the hot end, remove the seeds (this all depends on how spicy you like things).
Once the alcohol has burned off and the mushrooms are soft, add your curry and mix everything together. Slowly fold in the coconut cream after the curry and mushrooms have been mixed. Make sure that your sauce is bubbling but not boiling while you do this. After the sauce is smooth and has a consistent texture, add the peppers and butter. Stir until the butter is melted and mixed evenly in the sauce. At the same time, you are doing this grade the ginger root over the sauce with a microplane. I love ginger, so we added a lot.
Stir everything together for a few minutes and start tasting your sauce. Make sure you have enough ginger and the level of spice that you like (remember, when the meatballs are added back into the sauce, they will mellow out the flavors a bit while adding their own). If you want more heat, add some cayenne, and the same for the ginger. Once this has been achieved, add a pinch or two of sugar. Season with S&P and onion & garlic powder to taste.
Now, you will add your meatballs back into the sauce. Spread them out evenly and rotate them to cover each ball with the mixture. Adjust your stove top temperature so that your sauce is simmering… cover the pan and let cook down for another 20 minutes or so (stir a couple times while doing this).
While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil for your noodles with some salt. Once the water is boiling, add your noodles and stir them occasionally so they do not stick together. They take about 8-10 minutes to cook. Make sure to taste your noodles before you remove them… rice noodles cook a lot slower than typical wheat noodles, even though they look like they are soft. Often, I will bite into one, thinking they are done by the look of them however, they are still really tough in the center.
When the noodles are to your liking, remove them, drain them, and give them a quick rinse with water.
Taste your sauce one last time and see if you need to add any more seasoning. When you are happy with the taste, remove the meatballs again (I just used my same cookie sheet to set them on). Add your noodles to the sauce sans meatballs and mix everything together.
Now you are ready to plate and serve! Add your “spaghetti” to a pasta bowl, top with a few meatballs and a squeeze of lime… garnish with basil, mint, and cilantro! Dust with some graded parm to finish!
