Name: Cajun meatballs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Cajun & Creole
Ingredients: 2 tbsp butter; 2 tbsp plain flour; 1 onion finely chopped; 1 green pepper deseeded and finely chopped; 2 celery sticks, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves chopped; 1 bay leaf; 400g can plum tomato; 1 chicken stock cube; dash of Tabasco sauce or hot pepper sauce; 4 spring onions finely sliced; handful coriander roughly chopped; rice or mash to serve; 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning; 500g pack turkey mince; 1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
1 onion
finely chopped
1 green pepper
deseeded and finely chopped
2 celery
sticks, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
chopped
1 bay leaf
400g can plum tomato
1 chicken stock cube
dash of Tabasco sauce
or hot pepper sauce
4 spring onions
finely sliced
handful coriander
roughly chopped
rice or mash
to serve

For the meatballs

1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
500g pack turkey mince
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

step 1
Put the butter in a pan over a low heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring all the time to make a roux. Cook until the roux is hazelnut brown in colour – make sure that it doesn’t burn. Tip in the vegetables, garlic and bay leaf, stir briefly, then pour in the tomatoes and 1½ cans of water. Crumble in the stock cube, add the hot sauce, then cover and cook for 15 mins, stirring occasionally, while you make the meatballs.
step 2
Work the spice and some seasoning into the turkey mince. Try not to over-handle or it will toughen. Shape into 20 meatballs.
step 3
Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and quickly brown the meatballs in batches until they are nicely coloured on all sides.
step 4
Stir the sauce, then drop in the meatballs and cook on a low heat for 10 mins until the turkey is cooked through. Scatter over the spring onions and coriander, and serve with some rice or mash.