Porcupine Meatballs

Porcupine meatballs are so called because of their resemblance with a porcupine. These meatballs are made by kneading together minced meat; generally beef with onions, rice and spices. The addition of rice in the meatballs, gives it a spiky appearance and hence its name. It makes a complete meal in itself and you can also use it with spaghetti along with a homemade tomato sauce or mushroom soup.

Porcupine Meatballs
Ingredients

• 500 g minced beef
• 2 medium-sized onions, finely diced
• 2 cans of tinned tomato
• 2 tablespoons paprika powder
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup of cooked white rice
• 3 cups of homemade beef stock
• salt to taste

Method
In a large bowl, mix together the minced beef with the cooked rice. Add the diced onions, pepper, paprika powder and salt. Knead them together and make 8 to 10 meatballs with this mixture.

Preheat the oven to 150º C. On a deep roasting tray, add the cans of tinned tomatoes and the beef stock. Mix them together with a ladle until they are well blended. Now very carefully, place the meatballs on the roasting tray. Cover it with a tin foil and bake it for an hour and a half at 350º C. Take the foil out and bake it uncovered for another 15 minutes. Serve in individual soup bowls with your favorite pasta. This is how you can make quick and easy meatballs.

Porcupine Meatballs with Mushroom Soup
Ingredients

• 500 g minced pork
• ½ cup of cooked rice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced fine
• ¼ cup red capsicum, diced
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 small-sized onions, chopped fine
• ½ tablespoon cumin powder
• salt to taste

Method
In a small frying pan, stir fry the onions, garlic and red capsicum in olive oil. Remove from flame and let it cool. In a bowl add the minced pork, rice, eggs, salt, pepper and cumin powder along with the fried onion mixture. Knead this with your hand and make 10-12 meatballs. Fry the meatballs in a little oil until they have browned uniformly.

To make the mushroom soup
Ingredients

• 100 g fresh button mushrooms
• 150 g oyster mushroom
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 50 g unsalted butter
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup skimmed milk
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• sea salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the butter along with the olive oil. Stir fry the diced onions and when the onions turn translucent add the button mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. Add sea salt and fry for 7-8 minutes until all the water has evaporated from the mushrooms. Now pour in the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. In another bowl, mix the flour with the milk making sure that no lumps are formed. Pour this mixture into the saucepan and stir until its well blended. Now add in the black pepper and let it come to a boil. Now add the meatballs very gently into the mushroom soup and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Serve with finely chopped parsley.

Porcupine Meatballs with Tomato Soup
For the porcupine meatballs recipe, you can follow the recipe given above. For the tomato soup, the recipe follows.
Ingredients

• 4 large tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 medium potato, peeled
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Method
In a medium-sized roasting tin, place the tomatoes and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Add the garlic cloves, diced potato and season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes in an oven for 50 minutes until the skin of the tomatoes has blackened and the potato is cooked through. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and discard the skin. In a food processor whiz the roasted tomatoes, potato, and garlic to a smooth paste. In a saucepan, heat some olive oil and then fry the tomato mixture. Add the balsamic vinegar and black pepper. Pour in water and simmer at a low heat for 10 minutes. Now add the porcupine meatballs and simmer for some time until the meatballs are succulent. Serve in soup bowls, steaming hot.

These meatballs are a great option for a family dinner. Children also enjoy these meatballs and eat them with relish. They are very versatile and you can serve them in a variety of ways. You can serve them with spaghetti, mashed potatoes or over a plate of steamed rice.