French Canadian Ragoût De Boulettes Meatball Stew Recipes

FRENCH CANADIAN MEATBALL STEW

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Spread flour out in a thin, even layer on a baking sheet.
• Roast the flour in the preheated oven until medium brown in color, 10 to 15 minutes; stir often and watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove the flour from the baking sheet immediately once the desired color has been reached; set aside in a shallow bowl to cool.
• Melt butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion to a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; stir the spice mix into the onion. Place ground pork, parsley, egg, and bread crumbs into the bowl, and mix to combine thoroughly. Form the meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs; roll each meatball in the roasted flour. Reserve unused flour.
• Pour the chicken broth into the pot, bring to a boil over medium heat, and carefully drop in the meatballs, a few at a time, stirring to keep them from sticking on the bottom. Drop in the bay leaf. Simmer the meatballs for 20 minutes; mix in the potatoes, and simmer until potatoes are tender and the broth has reduced, an additional 20 minutes. Transfer the meatballs into a bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Remove and discard bay leaf. Mix remaining roasted flour with cold water in a cup, and gradually whisk the flour mixture into the simmering broth to thicken. Bring the gravy to a full boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until the gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Return the meatballs to the stew, and serve.

RAGOUT DE BOULETTES

Steps:

• Cube the bread very finely and soak in milk for 5 minutes.
• In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoons of the butter and cook the onion until tender.
• Transfer to a large bowl.
• Add the pork, bread mixture, parsley and spices.
• Mix thoroughly and form into 2-inch meatballs.
• In the skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium heat.
• Brown the meatballs, one layer at a time, on all sides.
• Place in a large roaster and set aside.
• Pour off the fat.
• Pour 1 cup of the stock into the skillet.
• Heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Pour over the meatballs, then pour in the remaining stock.
• Bake, partially covered, for 1-1/4 hours at 350 degrees F.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• In a clean skillet, cook the flour over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden.
• Blend the flour with the cold water until smooth.
• Place the roaster over medium heat and bring to a boil.
• Gradually pour in the flour mixture and stir constantly and cook until thickened.
• Let simmer for 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle generously with parsley.

RAGOUT DE BOULETTES

Steps:

• 1. To the ground pork add the onion, bread crumbs, milk, parsley, ginger, and dry mustard. (If you choose to use the ground cinnamon and ground cloves option, add them to the meat mixture). Add the beaten egg. Salt and pepper, make into 2 inch balls. Flour them (with white flour).
• 2. Fry the meat balls in a fat of your choice to brown them.
• 3. Pour 3 cups of broth or water over the meat balls. Add bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and cloves and discard.
• 4. Now the secret to the goodness of a ragout Quebec-style: Sprinkle flour into a skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until flour becomes an even mid-caramel colour; cool. Watch carefully, it can burn easily. If it does burn, throw it out and gently brown anther 4 tablespoons of flour.
• 5. Shake together in a jar the browned flour and 1/2 cup water. Pour into the broth and continue cooking, stirring until it thickens to a good consistency.
• 6. Serve with mashed potatoes or noodles.

RAGOUT DE BOULETTES CANADIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Brown finely chopped onion in bacon grease.
• Add to ground pork along with celery, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves.
• Shape into balls about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
• Roll in seasoned flour (flour, salt, and pepper combined).
• Drop meatballs into boiling beef broth.
• Reduce temperature; simmer for 1 hour.
• Thicken remaining stock with browned flour; season to taste.
• NOTES FOR THE COOK:.
• You may make beef stock or use boullion cubes and water.
• Browned flour is something our Mothers and Grandmothers made. It is very simple to make by just stirring several tablespoons of flour back and forth in a dry medium hot skillet. This type of flour will not thicken as quickly as plain flour because the heat breaks down the starch cells. It takes 3 tablespoons of browned flour to do the work of 1-1/2 tablespoons of plain flour. 'Flour may be browned in a hot oven' is what recipe says; I don't know about that; I think it could burn pretty easy.