Shelly's Recipe

CAJUN BEEF & PORK BOULETTES WITH BROWN SAUCE

Category: Meatballs

1-1/2 quarts of water
1 cup of dark roux
1/2 of a medium onion, grated or finely minced
1 stalk of celery, finely minced
1/2 of a small green bell pepper, finely minced
1/2 of a small red bell pepper, finely minced
Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped or small palmful of dried
2 stalks of green onions, sliced very thin
1 pound ground chuck
1 pound ground pork
12 small whole cloves of garlic, or 2 to 4 sliced (see note)
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 egg
2 pinches of Kosher salt, or to taste
20 turns of the pepper grinder, or to taste
1/2 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Splash of heavy cream, to moisten
Couple dashes of dried crushed red pepper flakes, and/or Slap Ya Mama or your favorite Cajun seasoning

In a 4 quart stockpot, add the water and stir in the room temperature roux and bring to a boil. Start with 3/4 cup but add more roux if needed to achieve the desired thickness; boil for 5 minutes; reduce to medium.

Combine all of the ingredients and shape into 12 large balls. Insert a slice of the raw garlic into each meatball, pinch closed and roll the ball a bit more to tighten it. Put the raw meatballs in the sauce and once it returns to a bubble again, reduce the heat to a low to medium low simmer, and low simmer the meatballs for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Sprinkle with a few dashes of dried crushed red pepper flakes and serve over rice with some of the brown sauce.

NOTE: Traditionally, beef boulettes are stuffed with a small whole clove of garlic, or sometimes a small button mushroom or an olive, and then the meat is wrapped tight to seal it in. I prefer to slice up the garlic cloves into smaller slivers and then insert them.

Easy Make-Ahead Roux
Equal amounts of canola oil
Equal amounts of all purpose flour
Cast iron pot or skillet

Preheat the oven to 350 to 375 degrees. I find my oven needs to be just slightly under 375 degrees. Start the roux on the stovetop to get it going, preferably in a cast iron pot, by heating the oil to medium high, then reduce to medium and gradually whisk in the flour a little at a time until fully incorporated. Carefully transfer the pot into the hot oven and cook for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, stirring about every 20 minutes, until the roux turns a deep, dark, chocolate brown.

Once roux is ready, place the pot over medium heat and add the vegetables, proceeding with the rest of the recipe as directed, or if you aren't using it right away, remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. Continue stirring occasionally since the cast iron will retain the heat for a while. Store in a mason jar in the fridge till needed. You can also freeze the roux in ice trays in one tablespoon measures. Once frozen, pop them out and store in a freezer bag for anytime you need a few tablespoons of roux. Bring refrigerated stored roux up to room temperature before using.