(c) Food 101

Ahead of this weekend's Atlanta Meatball Festival, Chef Justin Keith of Food 101 was kind enough to share his recipe for the amazingly tasty duck meatball with kimchi collards. 

I had the chance to taste a number of participating dishes to be featured at this year's festival, including ones from Rosebud, No. 246 and Seven Lamps, in addition to Food 101. In my opinion, Food 101's was not only the most delicious, but also the most creative. 

"I wanted to do something different than the standard Italian-style meatball with red sauce," Chef Justin told me. "I decided to blend souther components with Asian ingredients -- two cuisines that I enjoy to cook and eat. This was the result." 

(c) Food 101

And the result is exquisite! Check out the recipe below and this Sunday, be sure to taste it at the Atlanta Meatball Festival. It takes place at Belle Isle Square in Sandy Springs from 1-5 p.m. (next door to Cibo e Beve). 

Tickets are $25 in advance/$30 day-of, but you can get $5-discount using the code TasteATL. Proceeds benefit Second Helpings Atlanta, so go stuff your face with balls for a good cause!

(c) Food 101

Meatball ingredients (makes 8-10 2-oz meatballs): 
3 Tbsp canola oil 
1 lb ground duck
2 whole eggs
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 yellow onion (small, diced) 
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 small knob of ginger root (peeled & minced) 
1/4 tsp ground allspice 
1 tsp ground coriander 
3 Tbsp sambal chili sauce
1/2 bunch cilantro (roughly chopped) 
4-6 leaves basil (roughly chopped) 

Kimchi base ingredients: 
2 cups rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup Gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) 
1/4 cup Gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes) 
1/4 cup tomato paste
Korean chili powder
3 cloves garlic 
1 small knob of ginger root
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 yellow onion (chopped) 

Collard greens ingredients:
2 Tbsp bacon grease
1 yellow onion (julienne)
1 bunch collards (washed, stemmed, chopped) 
2 ham hocks (optional) 
1 quart chicken stock 
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

To prepare the meatballs: 
Pre-heat the over to 400 degrees. Heat the canola oil in a small sauté pan. Add onion, garlic and ginger until tender and flavors release (5 minutes). Once cooled, combine with all other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Season with salt & pepper and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to cool. Using a small scoop, portion out the meat mixture to 2-oz portions. Arrange on a baking sheet and cook for 12-15 minutes. 

To prepare the kimchi base: 
Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth and set aside. 

To prepare the collards: 
Heat oil in a pot and add the onion until tender. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook the collards for 30 minutes, until tender. Drain collards, then toss them with the kimchi base. 

To serve: 
You can serve this dish immediately, at room temperature or cold.