Cajun Meatball Stew

Ingredients

Stew

• ¾ C vegetable oil
• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 2½ qt water or beef stock
• 3 C onions, finely chopped
• 1½ C bell peppers, finely chopped
• 1 C celery, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced

Meatballs

• 2 lbs ground chuck
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ C milk
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• ½ C fresh parsley, chopped
• ½ C plain breadcrumbs
• ¼ C green onion, chopped
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Directions

1. In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Add flour and stir constantly until flour is dark brown, being careful not to burn. Flour should be almost the color of chocolate syrup.
2. To the flour mixture, add 2 C of chopped onion, 1 C of bell pepper and ½ C of celery. Reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are transparent. Add the water or beef broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
3. While this is cooking, make meatballs by combining ground chuck, remaining onions, bell pepper, and celery, 2 cloves of minced garlic, eggs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, ¼ C of parsley, bread crumbs, salt pepper and cayenne and mix well.
4. Form into whatever size meatballs you prefer. I like to make mine about 1½-2" round.
5. Add meatballs to the gravy. Do not stir for at least 20 minutes - stirring will break them apart. Cook over medium low heat until gravy is desired consistency. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and cayenne. Skim as much of the fat as you can off the top.
6. Stir in remaining garlic, parsley, and chopped green onions and cook for 5 another minutes.
7. Serve over hot cooked rice. I usually serve this topped with grated cheddar cheese with a side of early green peas or corn.

Chef's Notes

• A trick to making tender meatballs is not to pack the meat too firmly. Just form them enough for them to hold together
• Season the meat more than you think you’ll need – bland meat balls are not great
• Corn and okra are nice addition
• As an alternative, you can pre-cooking the meatballs in the oven prior to adding them - 15 minutes @400°