Beef

Cajun-Caribbean Fusion Meatballs

by:
August  9, 2010
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 4, with some leftovers
Author Notes

This recipe came wholly from my imagination, taking bits and pieces of various cuisines that sounded like they would go together, utilizing what was handy, and striving to do something different than the bazillion meatball recipes already submitted. I think this one meets all those qualifications. Plus, I was pretty doggoned impressed with it, except for the fact the camera battery had died and the cell phone pic just wasn't acceptable. It looks like meatballs in a reddish-brown sauce over -- are you ready for this -- rice. —Kayb

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Meatballs
  • 1 pound ground bef
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 pound Andouille sausage, diced or chopped fine
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2/3 cup cracker or bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup sauteed onion and garlic, from sauce prep, below
  • 3/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 tablespoon Pick-a-Peppa sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • Sauce
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 large onion, chopped small
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 cup chicken or pork stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1-2 habanero or scotch bonnet peppers, seeded and minced
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed or diced tomatos
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • juice of one large or two small limes
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
Directions
  1. Meatballs
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  3. Combine all ingredients, using your hands. Gently toss and stir with fingers until combined; do not knead.
  4. Shape into loosely formed golf-ball-sized balls and place on baking sheet sprayed with oil or non-stick spray (I line mine with foil,for easier clean-up,and spray the foil). Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, or until a nice crust has developed. Cool for 10 minutes.
  1. Sauce
  2. In a large, heavy pot over low heat make a roux of the butter and flour. Cook until roux is a dark caramel, stirring constantly.
  3. In a separate skillet, saute onion and garlic until tender and beginning to caramelize. Remove 1/3 cup of veggies and set aside to cool for meatballs. Add remaining veggies, plus minced peppers to the roux, stirring well.Add chicken or pork stock and bring to a boil, reducing liquid slightly.
  4. Add tomatos, sugar and bay leaves; bring back to a boil and reduced heat to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to simmer, covered, while the meatballs cook and cool and for whatever else you need to do. If the sauce gets too thick, add more stock or water.
  5. About 10 minutes before serving, add lime juice and fresh oregano to sauce; stir well and then add meatballs. Simmer for 10 minutes, and serve over rice.
Tags:
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Kayb
I'm a business professional who learned to cook early on, and have expanded my tastes and my skills as I've traveled and been exposed to new cuisines and new dishes. I love fresh vegetables, any kind of protein on the grill, and breakfasts that involve fried eggs with runny yolks. My recipes tend toward the simple and the Southern, with bits of Asia or the Mediterranean or Mexico thrown in here and there. And a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a float in the lake, as pictured, is a pretty fine lunch!

Popular on Food52

2 Reviews

lapadia
lapadia August 12, 2010
Some of the best recipes come "wholly from our imagination" and thanks for sharing yours!
 
Kayb
Kayb August 9, 2010
You could up the "Cajun Quotient" on this dish by adding the other two elements of the Trinity, celery and green pepper, to the sauteed veggies. I don't like either, so I don't.