Ok, well, welcome to my first blog post, and knowing that it is my first, be expecting lots of nervous jokes and disgusting, blurry, out-of-focus pics. I like to make crafty things, but mostly things that are functionally useful. I don't like to cook much, and I have few original recipes of my own, but this quick easy meatball recipe is the staple of 'Oh, it's my night to cook?' night, and always very well received. Seriously, they're delicious. Nothing like beef fat on beef fat. Stretchy, delicious beef fat.
This recipe makes ten meatballs. Sometimes I have them as a side and have two, sometimes I have them as a main feature and have four; my partner, Paddy, can not do with less than five. He's still young, his metabolism is still galloping. Wait until he's about 35 and it collapses into a weak trot. Hah. Now, most people put sausage meat in meatballs, or add flour and egg or breadcrumbs. Not me. I'm a bit of a meatball purist, mostly because New Zealand beef is so deliciously flavourful on its own and doesn't need propped up by carbs and such. This is just beef and cheese, and optional seasonings and oils.
Anyways. You get about 2-3 cups of beef mince/ground beef/hamburger and your cheese. I chose Edam because I like the taste and, lucky for me, it's very low fat. You'll need a bowl to mix it in, a knife, a pan to grill them in, and plates to eat them off. Forks are apparently optional in our house. Men. Oh! And preheat your oven on grill at about 250 Celsius.
You put it in the bowl and add seasoning of your choice. I did add a pinch of fresh rosemary and a dash of Moroccan seasoning (you do not understand how much Moroccan seasoning I go through, it's AMAZEBALLS); I usually use 'mixed herbs' but I had none. Moroccan seasoning has salt and pepper in it, but usually I wouldn't add either.
Mix it good. Yeah. Now, from your glorious block of cheese, cut 1 inch cubes. I cut a 1" slice and then cut it into 12 cubes, three of which became spare. I had two and my cat had one. The little boy down the lane got none. He's a jerk.
Take a small handful and flatten it in your hand. You want the beef pretty well thawed if it's been frozen because this can be unpleasant if it's still frozen. Press a cheese cube into the middle and wrap the beef around. Squish away until the cube is deliciously encased in a sphere, and revel in this confused mix of geometry. Laugh a little if you want.
Now place them in your pan. Yes, that's an old baking pan. Waste not want not, you know. I added a little oil to mine, you may not want to. I don't know you.
Put them in the oven and grill them until-- until they're done. I love mine as 'pink' as possible but I thought I had better tone it down for the blog.
Yeah, sizzle sizzle you tasty bastards.
Oh, right. And throw on some brown rice because you totally forgot about the rest of your meal. Or, have just cheesy meatballs like an animal. A wise animal.
Oh, right. And throw on some brown rice because you totally forgot about the rest of your meal. Or, have just cheesy meatballs like an animal. A wise animal.
Teh deeeh. The cheese will ALWAYS claw its way out of a few just to totally ruin the surprise for your diners. You could serve those ones to yourself. I did. Yummm. Revenge.
I hauled the rice and invisible vegetables out (I would have made some if it wasn't just me and the boyfriend, and I had remembered) and drizzled the juices from the pan of meatballs over it along with a bit of soy sauce, just because.
And that is that. No fancy presentation, slapped on the plate and devoured ten seconds later. They were amazeballs, as expected. My flatmate was totally jealous when he came home, but it was 'cook for yourself' night. So there.
If you make these, let me know how they turned out and how much you just love them!
If you make these, let me know how they turned out and how much you just love them!
-R. L. McClelland
