| 2
dozen |
Saltine ® Crackers |
| 1 cup
|
whole
milk |
| 3 tbl
(divided) |
Worcestershire sauce |
|
2 lbs |
ground beef |
| 1 cup |
finely grated Parmesan cheese |
| 1½
tsp |
dried
thyme |
| 1 tsp
|
freshly ground black pepper |
| 14
tsp (divided) |
Creole Seasoning (Tony's is available nearly
everywhere but we like The Stuff best) |
| ⅓ cup |
canola or vegetable oil |
| ⅓ cup | AP
flour |
| 1 rib
|
celery, diced |
| 2
slices |
bacon, cut into ½" squares |
| 6 |
green
onions, thinly sliced with the green parts and white parts
separated |
| 3
cloves |
garlic, minced |
| 4
cups |
chicken broth |
|
cooked rice |
Preheat your oven to 425°.
Put the saltines in a zip top bag and whack them with a rolling pin or put them in a food processor and pulse them. Either way, they should be crumbs when you are done. Put the cracker crumbs in a large mixing bowl and add the milk and two tablespoons of the Worcestershire sauce. Mix well, then let the crackers sit and absorb the liquid for 5 minutes.
Add the ground chuck, ground pork, grated parmesan, thyme, black pepper, and one tablespoon of the Creole seasoning. Mix well with your fingers.
Line a sheet pan with foil and top it with a rack. Scoop ¼ cup size portions of the meat mixture and place them on the rack. Wet your hands and roll each portion of meat into a meatball, then put it back on the rack. Bake the meatballs at 425° for 25 minutes.
While the meatballs bake, make a roux. Heat the oil over high heat in a large Dutch oven until it just starts to smoke. Add the flour and start stirring. As the flour gets to peanut butter color, turn the heat down to medium and keep stirring. Cook the roux until it is milk chocolate brown.
Add the onion, celery, and bacon to the roux and cook it on medium for 7 to 8 minutes. Add the white parts of the green onions, garlic, and last teaspoon of the Creole seasoning. Cook this for 1 minute.
Add the chicken broth to the roux mixture and the last tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Whisk everything together and bring it to a boil. Now add the meatballs and lower to a simmer. Cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Take the lid off, and turn the heat up to a strong simmer. Let the sauce thicken for 8 to 10 minutes or until it is the consistency of gravy.
Serve the stew over cooked rice and garnish with the green parts of the green onions.