Asian Appetizer Meatballs

These are quick and easy and smell really good while they are baking, which is no wonder considering they have garlic, ginger and sesame oil in them! Whenever I have a half a bottle of beer left in the refrigerator I always put it in a jar and save it for adding to meatloaf and clear sauces for meat instead of water when it is called for, like in the case of these meatballs. If you have ginger water it is the perfect substitute for the beer (or water) and you don't need to use grated ginger as the water permeates the meatballs better than the grated (or dry if you don't have any fresh ginger-though since you can easily freeze a piece of peeled ginger root and take it out and grate a little when you need it there is no excuse for not having fresh ginger around).

1 tablespoon sherry

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 cup beer or water

1 clove minced garlic

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork or chicken

1. In a bowl combine sherry, soy sauce, sesame oil, water, garlic and ginger. Add ground meat and mix lightly. Form into 1 inch balls and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce if desired though as savory as these meatballs are they work well with a very minimalist dip, like a simple hot and sour sauce made with some rice vinegar, hot chili oil and sesame seeds watered down a little to the desired amount of hot and sour.

Yield: 32 meatballs