Spicy Korean Meatballs

Asian food is one of my favorites. These meatballs, in a wonderful spicy sauce serves well over noodles or rice. Stir fry some other veggies, or make some potstickers and add a spring roll and you have a great meal.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound ground beef, preferably short rib and chuck
• 1 ½ tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• ⅓ cup chopped peeled Bosc or Asian pear
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• ½ tablespoon grated ginger
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large egg, beaten
• ⅓ cup dry bread crumbs, preferably whole wheat
• 6 ounces udon noodles or linguine
• 2 tablespoons gochujang, or ketchup seasoned with 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 3 scallions, trimmed and slant-cut
• INSTRUCTIONS:
• 1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place beef in a bowl.
  2. Combine honey, black pepper, sesame oil, vinegar, pear, onion, ginger, soy sauce and half the garlic in a food processor or blender and whirl until well blended. Mix with beef. Add egg and bread crumbs and mix again. Form into 1 1/2-inch balls and arrange on the baking sheet with a bit of space between them. Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes.
  3. While meatballs bake, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and boil 5 minutes for udon, about 8 minutes for linguine. Reserve 2/3 cup of the pasta water, then drain pasta.
  4. When meatballs are done, transfer them to a bowl and scrape pan juices into a sauté pan. Heat on medium, add remaining garlic and cook briefly until it starts to color. Whisk in gochujang, then pasta water. Simmer about 3 minutes, until sauce reduces and starts to thicken. Reduce heat to low, add noodles and toss in sauce. Add meatballs and mix gently. Transfer to a warm serving dish or individual bowls, scatter with scallions and serve SERVES: 4
  5.  NOTES: you may add more breadcrumbs to make the meatballs a little stiffer. You can also fry these in a small amount of oil if you prefer.
  6.  SOURCE: NYTimes