Cajun Meatballs

     This delicious Cajun Meatball recipe is spicy and not for the faint of heart, so don't say I didn't warn you.

     While the Cajun meatball isn't a tradtional South Louisiana recipe, I've decided to experiment with it anyway. Any recipe that calls for the "Cajun Holy Trinity" automatically piques my interest and most meatball recipes around the world call for it.

     Having grown up with a Greek mother who regularly cooked Greek meatballs called "Keftedes" and also being a huge fan of spicy Italian meatballs, I recently decided it was time to create my very own Cajun Meatball.

     As with any Cajun recipe, almost anything goes and some type of seafood or crawfish is always included. I started with a basic Italian meatball recipe, threw in some key ingredients from Greek "Keftedes" and then, of course the crucial Cajun touches were added in order to bring the flavor and heat up and right off the scale.

     Feel free to adjust to suit your taste buds, for these are some spicy meatballs. You can serve them as an appetizer, side dish or over your favorite noodle with some etoufee.  Use your imagination, like the Cajuns !

Cajun Meatball Ingredients:

• Italian bread crumbs ( add this last for desired consistancy)
• 2 lbs ground sirloin
• 1 lb Jimmy Dean's HOT Pork sausage ( patty roll)
• 1 1/2 cups crawfish tails-chopped
• 1 medium onion - minced
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions ( with chives)
• 1/2 red bell pepper - minced
• 1 stalk celery - chopped fine
• 5 cloves fresh garlic - minced
• 2 tsp ground cinammon
• 2 tbls chopped mint
  
• 1/4 cup finely chopped oregano
• 2 tbls basil
• 1 tbls ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tbls Lea & Perrin's Worchestershire sauce ( do not substitute brands )
• 1 tbls Ball's General Purpose Cajun Seasoning ( Slap ya mama works, but I prefer Ball's brand)
• 2 Eggs - beaten
• 4 tbls Creole Mustard ( I prefer Zatarain's)
• Tabasco hot sauce to taste. Start with 2 tablespoons
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste. ( be careful, as the Cajun Seasoning and the sausage will supply plenty of salt)
• A spash of your favorite white wine (optional)
• OIive oil
• Butter

Method:

     Gently saute the onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic in a pan with olive oil and a little butter and white wine, if desired.

     Add the sauteed mixture to the rest of the ingredients in a large bow, mix well and form into small ( 1 inch) meatballs. If you make the meatballs too large, you'll overcook the crawfish while trying to make certain the meat is cooked all the way through, so keep them fairly small. Place the meatballs in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Then fry them in a pan with olive oil and butter, leaving enough room between them to roll them over as needed. You can also try baking them in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes or until done.

Enjoy !

~Froggy~

Part Time Louisiana Food Critic, Cajun meatball cook, and beach bum in training