And I'm delighted to welcome Greg to the blog, celebrating the release today of A Streetcar Named Murder, first in a new cozy series set in New Orleans. I read an advance copy and can tell you it's delightful -- a fun story, and a trip to a terrific city without leaving home!
One lucky reader will win a signed copy of A Streetcar Named Murder by T.G. Herren.
GREG HERREN: This recipe is wonderful—it’s something I’ve played around with for years, tinkering with ingredients and what to serve it as. These meatballs and the gravy are incredibly versatile, which really comes in handy when you’re writing. The prep work doesn’t take all that long—I always dice the peppers and onions and celery while I’m browning the meatballs. It doesn’t even need to be stirred more than once or twice—I generally do that when I am taking a break from the computer to get something to drink or go to the bathroom. They can be served over egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes; I’ve even baked potatoes to go with them, using the gravy to flavor the potatoes themselves. That versatility means you can have them three or more nights in a row without really getting tired of them—and the flavor gets stronger each day. So, for a little less than an hour of prep work you can alleviate your need to cook anything for several days—more time for reading and writing, and no need to revert to peanut butter sandwiches!
What really finished the recipe for me—I haven’t altered it in many years—was the spices and the cooking sherry. I was doing some research for a book that was going to be built around a New Orleans restaurant (fictional, of course). While doing research in the kitchen of a major restaurant, I noticed the use of four spices I’d never really used before: cayenne pepper, white pepper, basil, and thyme. I’d never seen them combined before; it struck me as odd—but when I questioned the chef, he just smiled and let me taste the sauce. It blew my socks off—and I mused out loud that I should add them to my meatball recipe. The chef nodded gravely and told me to also add cooking sherry. That very weekend, I did—and I haven’t altered the recipe since!
I never wrote the restaurant mystery…but maybe I should! And I think I need to make these meatballs again—it’s been way too long!
Greg Herren’s New Orleans Slow Cooker Meatballs
2 cans of French onion soup*
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup*
1 pound of lean ground sirloin
1 pound of ground pork
1 cup of cooking sherry
1 cup of diced onions
1 cup of diced bell pepper
1 cup of diced celery
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon each of salt, black pepper, white pepper,
cayenne pepper, basil, minced garlic, and thyme
1 cup of parsley
1 diced and seeded jalapeño
2 cups of sliced mushrooms
½ cup of milk
½ cup of bread crumbs
1 egg
A stick of unsalted butter (or ½ cup of olive oil)
1/3 cup of flour
Combine the pork and the sirloin in a bowl. Add the milk, the egg, and the breadcrumbs and mix by hand. Once the meat is thoroughly mixed, roll into ½ wide balls. Brown on each side in a skillet over a medium heat, and then remove to a paper towel. Pat them dry with another paper towel.
Add the soups into the slow cooker (6 quart) and stir until smooth. Empty the skillet into the slow cooker as well and stir before adding the sherry and the meatballs and diced, seeded jalapeno. Set on high, checking whenever your nose reminds you.
After three hours, add the mushrooms and parsley. Check the gravy—if you want it thicker, mix two tablespoons of flour into a cup of water until smooth. Add it to the gravy and stir until it thickens. If it’s still not thick enough, repeat the process one more time. The additional water won’t affect the flavor of the gravy. Cook an additional hour.
You can serve this as a stew, or over rice or egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Store whatever’s left over in the refrigerator in a glass or plasticware container—and the longer it sits in the refrigerator, the more flavorful the meatballs become.
Serves 6, more or less.
*If you prefer, you can make your own French onion and mushroom soups from scratch; there are some excellent recipes on line. Store bought canned is much easier; I tend to get the low-salt/low fat ones.
VARIATIONS:
I have, from time to time, made alterations and changes to the above base recipe; but this is the base recipe I’ve developed over years of playing with it. I have sometimes added onions and bell pepper to the meat as well before browning them; sometimes when I have time or have thought about it in advance I brown the meatballs the night before and soak them overnight in the sherry.
If you like your food less spicy-hot, cut the cayenne in half and leave out the jalapeno. I also recommend tasting the sauce itself before you add the mushrooms and parsley. If the taste is too hot, add a dollop of sour cream to cut the heat.
You can dice green onions as a garnish to add after they’re done also.
You can also add carrots and cut up potatoes, if you want it to be more of a stew. Just make sure you do this at the beginning, so they can cook thoroughly.
Do you have a favorite memory of New Orleans? Something you'd like to see, hear, or eat if you haven't been yet? Talk to Greg in the comments -- and leave your email address -- for a chance to win a signed copy of A Streetcar Named Murder. (US addresses only. Winner will be announced Thurs, December 8.)
Blackmail in the Big Easy turns to cold-blooded murder in this debut cozy mystery perfect for fans of Jane K. Cleland.
When the mysterious letter arrives by courier, Valerie Cooper doesn’t know what to make of it. She’s become the beneficiary of her late husband’s estranged uncle’s will—a man she never knew—and inherited a majority partnership in the family’s company, New Orleans Fine Antiques. Valerie knows nothing about antiques, but she decides to learn the business and become an active partner. She’s also got her hands full fending off Collette, a woman who wants to sell the huge old house in the Irish Channel neighborhood Valerie and her husband painstakingly renovated.Valerie isn’t interested in selling—but when her best friend Lauren, drags her to a costume party for the women’s Mardi Gras club, the Krewe of Athena, she stumbles over Collette’s body, a jeweled dagger sticking out of her chest. In a rush of panic, Valerie recognizes the dagger from her shop—and before she knows it, she’s become murder suspect number one.
Egged on by Lauren, she starts digging into Collette’s business dealings, and the deeper she digs, the dirtier it gets. Now all fingers are pointing at Valerie. In a desperate bid to clear her name, Valerie frantically tries to find who could have gotten hold of the dagger. But among a cadre of guests in full costume, it could be impossible to find the thief—and unmask the real killer.
