Down Home Issue
Meatball Stew
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bunch fresh green onions, chopped
8 cups (2 32-ounce containers) chicken stock
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 cups hot rice, for serving
For the Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
1 pound green onion sausage, removed from casing
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 eggs
Directions
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, then add flour and brown until it reaches the color of cocoa powder, about 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Add bell peppers, yellow onion, celery and green onions, and cook until very soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the chicken stock to the roux and simmer on medium-low heat for half an hour. Add the Cajun seasoning, parsley flakes, pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 1 hour.
While the gravy is simmering, make the meatballs. Place all of the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Mix by hand to combine, then loosely form mixture into 2-inch meatballs. Place the meatballs on a large sheet pan lined with foil to catch the drippings. Place in the preheated oven and bake until meatballs are brown, about 30 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves from the chicken stock-roux mixture. Add the meatballs and pan drippings to the pot, and simmer uncovered for 60 minutes while gravy thickens, stirring occasionally to turn the meatballs over.
Serve over rice and garnish with parsley or green onion tops.
