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THE DIG-IN
FRIDAY NIGHT SUPPER
WhenJamesMartinheadedStatesideforhisnewbookandTVseries,hesetouttoshow
usallhowgreatthecountry’sfoodis andthegoodol’USofAdidn’tdisappoint.This
larger-than-life Texan recipe is the pinnacle of crowdpleasers – an ideal end-of-week treat
Cheesy Texas meatballs
SERVES 6. HANDS-ON TIME 40 MIN
MAKE
AHEAD
Make the meatballs and
sauce 2-3 days ahead and
keep in separate, covered
containers in the fridge. Reheat the
sauce, then add the meatballs and
cook as in the recipe, adding a little
extra cooking time if you’re cooking
themeatballs from fridge-cold.
FOOD
TEAM’S
TIP
Youcouldreducethesugar
if you wish (and use less
chilli if you don’t like spicy
food).ThesearelargeAmerican-
sizemeatballs–ifyoupreferyou
could roll 24 smaller balls.
- 1kgleanbeefmince
- 2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
- 1 medium free-range egg, plus
1 yolk PHOTOGRAPHS: PETER CASSIDY.
STYLING: REBECCA NEWPORT
•1tbspdijonmustard
- 200g cheddar, finely grated
FOR THE SAUCE
•2tbspoliveoil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
•8garliccloves,crushed - 2redpeppers,diced
- 6 tomatoes, quartered
•400gtinchoppedtomatoes
•400mlblackcoffee(notinstant)
•4tbspdarkbrownsugar
•2tspblacktreacle - 100ml tomato ketchup
•4tbspredwinevinegaror 2 tbsp
Worcestershiresauce
•1redchilli,sliced - 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 star anise
•2tspsmokedpaprika - 400g tin kidney beans,
drained
Forgetpolitics–it’sthepeoplethatmakeAmerica
great.ThefolksImetonmyjourneycouldn’thavebeen
morefriendlyandtheproducecouldn’thavebeenbetter
tocookwith.Forthat,America,Iwanttothankyoufor
oneofthebesttripsofmylifeandforallowingme(Ihope)
to help to change people’s perception of Stateside food.
IcamebacktotheUKthinking,sure,theyhavesomeodd
thingstoeatovertherebuttheyalsohavesomeofthebest
foodintheworld.AndifyoumakeatriptotheUSA
followingthesameruleIdid–nevereatanything
biggerthanyourhead–you’llcomebackonlya
fewpoundsheavierthanwhenyouleft,with
your opinion of US food changed forever.
YOU’LL ALSO NEED...
•Largefrying/sautépanorshallow
flameproofcasserole that fits
under the grill
1 Tomakethesauce:heattheoilin
the pan/casserole and fry the onion
and garlic for a few minutes. Stir
in the diced peppers, then add the
fresh and tinned tomatoes, coffee,
brownsugar, treacle, tomato
ketchup, vinegar (or Worcestershire
sauce), chilli, oregano, star anise,
smoked paprika and kidney beans.
Bringtotheboil,thenturndownthe
heatandsimmerfor10minutes.
2 Putthebeefminceinalargebowl.
Addthebreadcrumbs,egg,egg
yolk and mustard, and season well
with salt and pepper. Mix everything
togetherthoroughly.Dividethe
mixtureinto12equalportions,then
shapeintoballsusingyourhands.
3 Removeanddiscardthestaranise
fromthesauce,thentasteandadjust
theseasoning.Dropthemeatballs
intothesauceandsimmergentlyfor
5-10 minutes, turning occasionally.
4 Heat the grill to medium-high.
Once the meatballs are cooked,
sprinkle a small pile of the grated
cheese over each meatball and
grillforacoupleofminutesuntil
bubbling and golden. Serve the rest
ofthegratedcheeseontheside.
PER SERVING593kcals, 25.8g fat
(11.8g saturated), 51.3g protein,
34.8g carbs (24.5g sugars), 1.77g
salt,7. 8 g f ib r e
WINE EDITOR’S CHOICECalifornian
orChileancabernetsauvignon,or
a cool, refreshing bottled lager.
72 deliciousmagazine.co.uk