Cajun Meatball Fricassee | Cook's Country

Cajun Meatball Fricassee 

Used with permission by Cook's Country

SERVES 4 TO 6

Why This Recipe Works: We were after tender, juicy, Cajun-spiced meatballs and a rich, boldly seasoned gravy with a balanced kick of heat. Using saltines in place of fresh bread in the meatballs got rid of some of the moisture, making the meatballs less gummy, while a hefty dose of Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning, and dried thyme ensured that they tasted supermeaty and exceptionally flavorful. Roasting the meatballs in the oven gave them flavorful browning and kept us from having to laboriously fry them on the stovetop. 

The signature flavor of a Cajun gravy comes from a deeply browned roux—a mixture of flour and fat. For ours, we sped things up by preheating the oil until it was just smoking before adding in the flour. Once the flour was the color of milk chocolate, we added chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery (the so-called “Cajun Trinity”) for a backbone of aromatic sweetness and depth and to quickly stop the flour from getting any darker. Finally, simmering the browned meatballs in the gravy brought it all together, making for an exceptionally comforting stew to serve over rice for dinner.

Ingredients

MEATBALLS

• 22 square saltines
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
• 1½ teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon pepper

STEW

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 2 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 6 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Cooked white rice

Before You Begin: We recommend using a #16 portion scoop to divvy up the meatball mixture. To make shaping easier, wet your hands slightly. Serve with a dash of Louisiana-style hot sauce. It's unnecessary to temp the meatballs because they will reach a food-safe temperature if cooked according to the recipe instructions.

Instructions

1. FOR THE MEATBALLS: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and spray rack evenly with vegetable oil spray.
2. Place saltines in large zipper-lock bag, seal bag, and crush saltines fine with rolling pin. Whisk saltines, milk, and Worcestershire together in large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften saltines. Whisk saltine mixture until smooth paste forms. Add beef, Parmesan, Creole seasoning, thyme, and pepper and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined.
3. Divide mixture into about 24 scant ¼-cup portions. Roll portions between your slightly wet hands to form meatballs and evenly space on prepared wire rack. Divide mixture into about 24 scant ¼-cup portions. Roll
   portions between your slightly wet hands to form meatballs and evenly space on prepared wire rack. Roast meatballs until lightly browned on top, about 25 minutes.
4. FOR THE STEW: Meanwhile, heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Using rubber spatula, stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is color of peanut butter, 2 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until roux has darkened to color of milk chocolate, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
5. Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery, and bacon and cook until vegetables are softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in scallion whites, garlic, and Creole seasoning and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire until thoroughly combined. Bring to boil over medium-high heat.
6. Add meatballs to stew; reduce heat to low; and cook, covered, until flavors have melded, about 20 minutes. Uncover; increase heat to medium-high; and cook until thickened to texture of heavy cream, 8 to 12 minutes. Serve over rice, sprinkled with scallion greens.

🍽️ For more recipes like the one above, visit SCETV Food or Cook's Country.