size of the green beans. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, shallot, parsley, and mustard. Pour the dressing over the beans and toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate for up to several hours, but not overnight.
To cook the meatballs, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the meatballs and sauté until lightly browned all around, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
With the pan still over medium heat, add the onion and stir to coat with the fat. Add the water, paprika, bell pepper, tomatoes, and salt and stir to mix. Return the meatballs to the pan, turn them gently about to mix them in, cover the pan, and gently simmer until they are no longer pink in the center and the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream until smooth. Add it to the sauté pan and stir gently to combine.
Spoon the meatballs and sauce into a serving dish and serve hot, with the green bean salad on the side.
Hmong-Style Asian Greens Soup with Beef Meatballs and Slab Bacon
Hmong farmers, fleeing Laos to escape persecution, began arriving in the United States in the latter half of the 1970s, with the majority arriving in the 1980s. Most of them eventually settled where they could continue their agrarian life: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, North Carolina, and California, especially in the fertile land around Fresno, California. This occurrence is especially remarkable to me because it is where my Armenian relatives also settled three generations ago to farm in one of most bountiful growing places in the world. And I benefit still from that abundance.
Notwithstanding the lengthy trip to the Bay Area, Hmong-grown vegetables from Fresno appear in glorious array at my local Oakland farmers’ market every Saturday, alongside the Armenian stand from the same area with its effusive display of fruits, heirloom tomatoes, eggplants, and Armenian cucumbers. Among the Hmong staples for sale are sturdy Asian brassicas, such as Chinese cabbage, Chinese mustard greens, and choys of several kinds; luffa (ridged gourd) and Chinese bitter melon; okra and small pickling cucumbers for my holiday pickle jars; and long beans for my Asian-to-new-Californian dishes. Together these two vendors supplement each other and pay tribute to the marriage of Asian and Mediterranean culinary ingredients in California’s hot and prolific Central Valley. It’s enough to incite a food frenzy and cook up something healthful and delicious, such as this hearty yet delicate Hmong-style main-dish soup.
SERVES 4
Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons minced green chiles, such as serrano, jalapeño, or Thai bird
¼ cup finely chopped scallions, white and light green parts
¼ teaspoon Asian sesame oil
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
Soup
2 teaspoons peanut or canola oil
6 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1-inch squares ¼ inch thick
½ cup thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts, or ½ white onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
8 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1½ pounds Chinese mustard greens or Chinese cabbage, trimmed and coarsely chopped
Steamed white rice , for serving
To make the meatballs, place all the ingredients in a medium bowl, and knead with your hands until thoroughly blended. Form into 12 walnut-size balls. Set aside on a plate at room temperature for up to 30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to overnight.
To make the soup, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and leeks, decrease the heat to medium-low, and cook gently until both are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon fat is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the meatballs and continue cooking until they rise to the top,
To cook the meatballs, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the meatballs and sauté until lightly browned all around, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
With the pan still over medium heat, add the onion and stir to coat with the fat. Add the water, paprika, bell pepper, tomatoes, and salt and stir to mix. Return the meatballs to the pan, turn them gently about to mix them in, cover the pan, and gently simmer until they are no longer pink in the center and the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream until smooth. Add it to the sauté pan and stir gently to combine.
Spoon the meatballs and sauce into a serving dish and serve hot, with the green bean salad on the side.
Hmong-Style Asian Greens Soup with Beef Meatballs and Slab Bacon
Hmong farmers, fleeing Laos to escape persecution, began arriving in the United States in the latter half of the 1970s, with the majority arriving in the 1980s. Most of them eventually settled where they could continue their agrarian life: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, North Carolina, and California, especially in the fertile land around Fresno, California. This occurrence is especially remarkable to me because it is where my Armenian relatives also settled three generations ago to farm in one of most bountiful growing places in the world. And I benefit still from that abundance.
Notwithstanding the lengthy trip to the Bay Area, Hmong-grown vegetables from Fresno appear in glorious array at my local Oakland farmers’ market every Saturday, alongside the Armenian stand from the same area with its effusive display of fruits, heirloom tomatoes, eggplants, and Armenian cucumbers. Among the Hmong staples for sale are sturdy Asian brassicas, such as Chinese cabbage, Chinese mustard greens, and choys of several kinds; luffa (ridged gourd) and Chinese bitter melon; okra and small pickling cucumbers for my holiday pickle jars; and long beans for my Asian-to-new-Californian dishes. Together these two vendors supplement each other and pay tribute to the marriage of Asian and Mediterranean culinary ingredients in California’s hot and prolific Central Valley. It’s enough to incite a food frenzy and cook up something healthful and delicious, such as this hearty yet delicate Hmong-style main-dish soup.
SERVES 4
Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons minced green chiles, such as serrano, jalapeño, or Thai bird
¼ cup finely chopped scallions, white and light green parts
¼ teaspoon Asian sesame oil
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
Soup
2 teaspoons peanut or canola oil
6 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1-inch squares ¼ inch thick
½ cup thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts, or ½ white onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
8 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1½ pounds Chinese mustard greens or Chinese cabbage, trimmed and coarsely chopped
Steamed white rice , for serving
To make the meatballs, place all the ingredients in a medium bowl, and knead with your hands until thoroughly blended. Form into 12 walnut-size balls. Set aside on a plate at room temperature for up to 30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to overnight.
To make the soup, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and leeks, decrease the heat to medium-low, and cook gently until both are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon fat is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the meatballs and continue cooking until they rise to the top,
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