Glazed Meatball Lettuce Wraps—Tomato Balsamic or Hoisin

From Nicki Sizemore's new book Mind, Body, Spirit, Food

Let’s be real—it’s hard to even think about cooking and food right now, with everything going on all across the country. As those who also follow my California Table newsletter know for last week’s post, I’ve had a hard time mentally justifying spending time on a cooking newsletter because it feels like I should be spending all my time focusing on the state of the world.

Thankfully, flipping through Nicki Sizemore’s brand-new book—Mind, Body, Spirit, Food—helped give me some useful perspective. Nicki’s approach to cooking turns something that can feel like a chore into a daily opportunity for reflection and meditation. She invites readers to approach cooking as a mindfulness practice that can help you re-center after a long day. As she puts it:

“Before I started cooking and eating with intention, making dinner for my family was nothing short of stressful, even though cooking is my vocation and my biggest passion. I would get home from work and jump into dinner prep while simultaneously fielding requests from my kids, worrying about work projects, unpacking school bags, and thinking about the next day’s schedule…..

“…When I finally decided something needed to change, I started by simply breathing. Every evening, before I picked up my chef ’s knife to start dinner, I’d take two deep, grounding breaths, just like I’d been doing for years during my morning meditation practice. It sounds almost too easy, but it had a profound effect. I found that if I was able to drop into my body and connect with my senses, I could slow down the ticker tape running in my mind, releasing the stresses from the day (even if just for an hour).”

This book is built around this realization and the new way that Nicki approaches cooking. In the opening sections, she discusses intentional cooking and eating and offers tools for those who want to bring more calm and focus to their kitchens. Then, in later chapters, she begins each recipe by demonstrating how this works, setting an intention—a way she wants to feel or an idea she wants to embrace while she’s cooking, such as “I will be fully present,” “I will be gentle with myself,” “I will allow the unexpected,” etc.—before diving into ingredients and cooking steps.

This approach makes for an extremely calming book. I can be a little bit anti “woo” (thanks to a childhood that was chock-full of 80’s, California-style woo-woo practices), but Nicki’s approach got through to me anyway. Her calm and intentionality are something we all need a lot more of, and this book offers a really easy step we can all take when we need to take a break from the chaos.

Nicki in her kitchen

Of course, as Nicki notes herself, “…this is also a cookbook, and if you’re only here for the recipes, that’s wonderful, too!” And it’s true. I want to make absolutely everything from the oatmeal breakfast cake to the creamy cashew dip to a skillet chili cornbread bake. Each recipe also offers options: Nicki gives us two different flavoring options for every single things she makes. That breakfast cake can be carrot-currant or blueberry, while a roasted beet salad can be dressed with Mediterranean tahini or creamy citrus dressing. Sheetpan “parm” can be made with either chicken or eggplant. This approach makes the book almost doubly useful while also encouraging you to play with your flavors in the kitchen, finding exactly what tastes best to you.

I’ve shared on of my favorite snacky recipes from the book below: glazed meatball lettuce wraps that can be flavored with tomato balsamic or hoisin sauces (and coordinated toppings). They’re hearty and flavorful, and the lettuce and herby toppings keep everything bright and light. (Plus, anything you eat with your hands makes dinner more fun!) I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

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Nicki and I are going to be in conversation at Omnivore Books in San Francisco next Tuesday, February 10th! Come join us to talk about her brilliant book:

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Glazed Meatball Lettuce Wraps—
Tomato Balsamic or Hoisin

Easy meatballs with either a tangy tomato balsamic glaze or a sticky-sweet hoisin sauce are tucked into crisp lettuce leaves and finished with a few bright toppings for a handheld meal (or appetizer) that’s brimming with texture.

Serves: 4 | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 15 minutes

MEATBALL BASE

1 pound ground chicken or turkey
1 large garlic clove, grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs (regular or gluten-free)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

TOMATO BALSAMIC VERSION

⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

HOISIN VERSION

½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
¼ cup hoisin sauce (regular or gluten-free)
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sriracha

FOR SERVING

Bibb or butterhead lettuce leaves
Shaved fennel and chopped fresh basil (for the tomato balsamic version) or sliced scallions, peanuts, and sriracha (for the hoisin version)

MAKE THE MEATBALL BASE

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic, egg, panko breadcrumbs, and salt, and season with black pepper.

CHOOSE YOUR VERSION

For the Tomato Balsamic

1. Add the seasonings to the meatballs. Add the parmesan, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes to the chicken mixture. Mix everything together using a fork until evenly combined.

2. Make the glaze. In a small bowl, stir together the honey, tomato paste, and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and black pepper, and set aside.

For Hoisin

1. Add the seasonings to the meatballs. Add the five-spice powder, tamari, and scallions to the chicken mixture. Mix everything together using a fork until evenly combined.

2. Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, and sriracha for the glaze. Season with salt and black pepper, and set aside.

BAKE THE MEATBALLS

1. Shape the meatballs. Shape the meatball mixture into 1½-inch balls (you should get 16 meatballs)—the mixture might be quite loose, but that’s okay. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan.

2. Bake the meatballs for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the meatballs generously with the glaze—you should use it all up, even though it will seem like a lot (some brands of gluten-free hoisin are quite thin, in which case it will be less of a brushing and more of a patting of the sauce over the top—it will drip down onto the pan, but that’s okay). Bake the meatballs for 5 minutes longer, or until they’re cooked through (the internal temperature should read 165 to 170°F/74 to 77°C). Let the meatballs rest for 5 minutes.

SERVE

1. Serve the meatballs with lettuce leaves for wrapping. For the tomato balsamic version, top each lettuce cup with a bit of shaved fennel and chopped basil. For the hoisin version, top each lettuce cup with scallions, peanuts, and a drizzle of sriracha (they’re also delicious with chili crisp).

Cooking Notes

• I prefer using ground chicken, which allows the seasonings to shine through, but ground turkey works well, too.

• If eating with your hands isn’t your idea of fun, serve the meatballs over rice instead.

Variation

• You can transform the meatballs (without the glaze) into burgers! Form the meat mixture into 4 patties, then cook them in an oiled skillet. We love to top the Italian style with marinara and mozzarella and the Asian style with mayo and slaw.

Excerpted from Mind, Body, Spirit, Food © by Nicki Sizemore, used with permission from Storey Publishing

Photos: Rikki Snyder