I considered myself a person who pretty much eat anything under the sun, with few exceptions. That’s not anything under the sun you would say. Well, “pretty much” !! I haven’t eaten things like bugs and I believe lots of other different meats from the animal kingdom..oh, and testicles too! Yes, why do I want to eat testicles ! Have you ever watched that Fear Factor show where they dare you to eat things like testicles, roaches ? Those people did it. I almost gagged myself just watching them trying to swallow the live roaches, boiled testicles and gosh..who knows what else!
The reason why I brought up this testicles topic was because of the story behind this recipe you are about to see when you scroll down! No..no…no…there are no testicles involved. In the Wild West, there is this dish called “Rocky Mountain Oysters” and it is not the seafood oyster if you are wondering! Rocky Mountain Oysters are deep-fried calves’ testicles (ouch!) and they are a Wild West delicacy (Wow!). It is considered the cowboy meatballs because of its size and the shape (like meatballs).
Instead of using testicles, Jamie Oliver used ground meat stuffed with cheese and smothered in a rich chile sauce. I know I just said that I wouldn’t eat testicles. If the Rocky Mountain Oysters taste exactly like this cowboy meatballs I made, then I guess I’m sold with eating testicles then! You gotta try this cowboy meatballs. So very good. When that cheese oozes out when you dig into the giant meatballs, man!!!! that sauce is spectacular in every way I can imagine!
Like Jamie, I dedicate these balls to all the bulls in the Wild West losing theirs !! 😉
COWBOY MEATBALLS
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 red onions , peeled and diced
- 1 ¼ lbs good-quality ground meat (beef, buffalo, or a mixture)
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- A pinch of cumin powder
- ½ tsp coriander seeds , bashed up in a pestle and mortar
- 1 handful of bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- Sea alt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
- CHILE SAUCE:
- 1 medium red onion , peeled and diced
- 1 red or yellow bell peppers , seeded and roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic , peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 fresh red chiles , seeded and minced (optional)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp ketchup
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp molasses or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ cup hot coffee
- 1 plum tomatoes , quartered
- A small bunch of fresh Italian parsley (chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 F. Put a large frying pan on a medium heat and add a good lug of olive oil. Add the diced onions and fry for 10 minutes or until softened, then remove from the heat and let cool completely. Put the ground meat into a bowl with mustard, oregano, cumin, coriander, bread crumbs, eggs, a good pinch of salt and pepper, and the cooled onions. Use clean hands to really scrunch it all together well, then divide the mixture into 8 patties
- Wet your two hands with water. Pick each patty up, one at a time, and roll into a baseball-sized ball. tick your thumb deep into the ball to make a pocket, then stuff in a good pinch of grated cheese. Cup, pack, and pat the meat around the cheese, using your hands to mold it back into a ball. you'll soon get the hang of it. Place the balls in a large oiled Dutch oven or roasting pan, drizzle over a good lug of olive oil, then bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and sizzling
- Meanwhile, use a paper towels to wipe out the pan you cooked your onions in, and put it back on a medium heat with a few lugs of olive oil. Add in the onion, bell peppers, garlic, fresh chiles, and paprika and fry gently for about 15 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, vinegar, molasses or sugar, mustard, coffee, and tomatoes, and bring everything to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. It should be thick and delicious, but if you'd like it a bit thicker, just turn the heat up and cook for a few more minutes
- Remove the cooked meatball from the oven when they're ready and spoon away as much of the fat from the pan as you can. pour your chile sauce over the top, and return the pan to the oven for 5 more minutes. Finely chop your parsley, sprinkle over, and serve with a spoonful of rice or mashed potatoes and a lemony green salad
2 comments
For having such humble, rustic origins, these meatballs look gourmet!
Hi Tierney,
I agree. Rustic and gourmet at the same time!