Lion's Head Meatball Soup for #SundaySupper

The Sunday Supper Family is kicking off 2016 in a big way! January is designated National Sunday Supper Month so what better time to get together and share your favorite Sunday Supper?!?

The Sunday Supper Movement's mission: get as many folks as possible around the family table.

The biggest gift we can give to our family is to hug, laugh, share our stories and enjoy great meals together. The focus on great food and memories with the family is one I wholeheartedly endorse...all week long. Not just on Sunday.



Here's what the Sunday Supper Family shared today in our first post of 2016...

Appetizers and Soups

• Borscht from Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
• Cheesy Garlic Crescent Rolls from Wallflour Girl
• Cheesy Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms from Runner’s Tales
• Creamy Zucchini Soup from Lydia’s Flexitarian Kitchen
• Garlic Chili Tiger Prawns from Food Lust People Love
• Honey Bacon Ranch Boneless Chicken Wings from From Gate to Plate
• Lion’s Head Meatball Soup from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• New England Seafood Chowder from Curious Cuisiniere
• Potato and Carrot Leek Soup from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Steve’s Crab Dip from Monica’s Table

Main courses

• Almond Breaded Pork Chops from Casa de Crews
• Bourbon Glazed Porkchops from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Cauliflower Tetrazzini with Poblano Peppers from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Chicken Pot Pie from Feeding Big and more
• Cranberry Mustard Pork Chop Skillet Dinner from Momma’s Meals
• Fideua (Catalan Pasta Paella) from Caroline’s Cooking
• French-Inspired Macaroni and Cheese from MyGourmetConnection
• Grandma’s Fried Chicken from The Freshman Cook
• Gluten Free Buffalo Quinoa Vegetable Bowls from Fearless Dining
• Huevos Rancheros from Palatable Pastime
• Indian Spiced Roast Salmon from Soni’s Food
• Italian Style Swiss Chard and Beans with Orecchietti Pasta from Delaware Girl Eats
• Korean Spicy Braised Mackerel from kimchi MOM
• Larb Gai (Spicy Thai Chicken Salad) from Rhubarb and Honey
• Mediterranean Flatbread from Magnolia Days
• Mustard-Crusted Pork Roast from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• New York Strip Roast Dinner from Gluten Free Crumbley
• Red Wine-Mushroom Braised Beef from The Crumby Cupcake
• Rustic Portuguese Chicken Stew from Family Foodie
• Sausage & Pasta in a Quick Tomato Sauce from The Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine
• Savory Ham, Cheese and Sage Waffles from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
• Shrimp and Asparagus Crepes from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Simple, Healthy, Light and Lemony Fettuccine from MidLife Road Trip
• Simple Roast Chicken from Get the Good Stuff
• Slow Cooker Italian Meatball Soup from Food Done Light
• Smoked Mozzarella and Sausage Pizza from Confessions of a Cooking Diva
• Smothered Pork Chops from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Spinach Spätzli with Sage and Speck from Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Turkey Cutlets with Sausage Stuffing from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Ultimate Mac and Cheese from Our Good Life
• Vegan Mexican Rice and Lentils from PancakeWarriors
• Ziti with Porcini Bolognese Sauce from Cooking Chat

Side dishes

• Gramma Buckholt’s Yeast Rolls from The Weekend Gourmet
• Lager and Rye Bread from What Smells So Good?
• Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower from Nosh My Way
• Sweet Potato Crescent Rolls from Wholistic Woman
• Winter Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Desserts

• Bacon Buttermilk Biscuit with Chocolate Gravy from Brunch-N-Bites
• Caramel Apple Rice Krispies Treats from Pies and Plots
• Chocolate Cupcakes with Kahlua Buttercream Frosting from Flour On My Face
• Chocolate Hazelnut Tart from Taste And See
• Death by Chocolate from Desserts Required
• Fudge Frosted Brownies from Party Food and Entertaining
• Gluten Free Tropical Banana Pineapple Coconut Muffins from Sue's Nutrition Buzz
• Layered Mousse Cake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Peanut Butter Cup Flourless Chocolate Cake Roll from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Pistachio Macaron with Apricot Ganache from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

• Take the Sunday Supper Month Pledge plus Family Friendly Recipes from Sunday Supper Movement

Help us celebrate National Sunday Supper Month by entering the Idaho® Potato Let's Poutine recipe contest, sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission, with prizes of $500, $200 and $100, plus a ticket for each winner to Food Wine Conference 2016. All the rules and conditions for entry can be found on our Sunday Supper Movement website.

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat.

To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It's easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

There are actually very few days that Jake, R, and D and I don't sit down for breakfast and dinner to eat, talk, and laugh. And, most of the time, D, who is my Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf, helps me put the meal on the table.

If you are interested, take the pledge. Follow this link and pledge to eat dinner as a family on Sunday.

Lion's Head Meatball Soup

For my recipe today, I wanted to share my Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf's favorite dish.

D is always quick to say, "It's not made with any part of a real lion!" This dish gets its name from the noodles and greens looking like the shaggy mane of a lion.

He loves to make this and even shared it with our huge extended family one year. Also, there are several elements of this dish that are symbols of good luck in different culinary traditions. We like to hedge our bets for the coming year, so I try to incorporate as many of those as I can around this time of year.

Pigs, and thus pork, represent progress as pigs put their snout to the ground and more forward. Leafy greens, the color of new growth and resembling paper money, are said to ensure prosperity. And long noodles are said to represent long life; you see this belief in most Asian nations.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground meat (we used beef and pork)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 4 shallots, diced
• 2 T flour
• 2 T minced ginger
• 2 T minced garlic
• 1 T minced lemongrass
• 4 T minced cilantro
• 8 C baby spinach, washed and dried
• 2 C mushrooms, sliced
• 6 T soy sauce
• 4 T toasted sesame oil
• noodles (we used buckwheat soba noodles)
• 8 C organic beef broth
• 1 C water

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

In a medium bowl, combine the pork with the beef and, then, with the onion, garlic, shallots, ginger, lemongrass, and 2 T cilantro. Mix by hand until all is incorporated. Season with 5 T soy sauce and 3 T sesame oil. Add flour and mix again.

Form the meat into balls. Flatten them a bit so that they are not completely round. Arrange meatballs in a single layer on a silicone-lined or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake meatballs at 375°F for 35 minutes or until done.

In a large soup pot, saute the onions until softened and turning translucent. Pour in the broth and 1 T soy sauce and 1 T sesame oil. Bring to a boil. Add in the remaining cilantro.

Add the meatballs, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add the greens, noodles, and mushrooms. Simmer until the noodles are cooked.

To serve Lion's Head Meatballs, serve each meatball in a small bowl surrounding by the greens and noodles.

Do you see the lion?