Dine and Dish

Written for Paper Palate on the Well Fed Network

One of the biggest complaints I hear about Gourmet magazine is that it has too many advertisements. People get frustrated at the amount of magazine space that is taken up by the ads and tend to skip reading the issues all together because of this. I personally love the ads in Gourmet magazine. Ads for vacations, upscale kitchen appliances, food products with recipes included, etc. These ads do not bother me one bit. In fact, in issues like the May 2007 issue, I think the ads are what makes the magazine. While reading this issue, I found myself bored and uninterested, which has never happened to me when I have had an issue of Gourmet in my hands.

The spring season seems to be the prime time for magazine publishers to post issues about travel. With food magazines, this means the writers get to travel all over the world to report back to us the hot spots and must have of certain destinations. The May 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine has been deemed their Special Travel Issue. The staff of Gourmet traveled to Australia and Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Mexico and South America, the Caribbean and the United States with the promise of giving us the very best of food from these sources. They did scoop up some wonderful recipes, but the content in between lacked much interest for me.

If you are planning a trip to any of these destinations this summer, you could pick up the May 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine and give your taste buds a glimpse of the exciting flavors you will be tasting. Some of the recipes I am tempted to try out include:

• Chicken and Cashew Stirfry pg 14
• Dulce De Leche Ice Cream pg 102
• Masala Spiced Potatoes pg 151
• Sugar Snap Peas with Tarragon Butter pg 152
• Scallion Biscuits pg 154
• Glazed Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake pg 156
• Quick Beef with Broccoli pg 164

The recipe I tried for Asian Meatballs with Sesame Lime Dipping Sauce made up for the mediocre issue and is a recipe I plan on keeping in my monthly rotation. I made the recipe exactly as stated without the additional cilantro garnish at the end. It was delicious and it was a quick meal to put on the table... perfect for a busy weeknight.

Asian Meatballs with Sesame Lime Dipping Sauce

Enlivened with crisp water chestnuts and fresh cilantro, these delicate Asian-inspired veal and pork meatballs are a world away from their Italian counterpart — but they're just as moist and irresistible.

1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound ground veal
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup canned sliced water chestnuts, rinsed, drained, and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus
1/4 cup sprigs
5 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons sugar
Accompaniment: steamed white rice

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F.

Pour milk over bread crumbs in a large bowl and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add ground meat, egg, water chestnuts, salt, chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape 3 tablespoons meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish. Make more meatballs with remaining mixture, arranging meatballs about 1/2 inch apart in baking dish. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together lime juice, water, sugar, remaining 4 tablespoons soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a bowl until sugar is dissolved.

Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with 1 tablespoon sauce and sprinkle with cilantro sprigs.

Serve meatballs with remaining sauce.

Makes 4 (main course) servings.