Goan-Style Meatball Curry

Goa is a small state on the southern half of India's western coast. It's capital city is Panaji. The Goan region was a colony of Portugal for more than 450 years, ending only in 1961 with annexation to India. The main language is Konkani, an Indo European language; and thus, a relative of English, although further down the family tree. Up until more recent decades, varying degrees of Portuguese was known by some segment of the population. Hinduism is the majority religion in Goa, but about a quarter of the state's population is Christian, a result of Portuguese involvement for such a long time, and Muslims are about 8 to 9%. To give some perspective, Christianity is only about two and one half percent of India's overall population. The influences of the Portuguese, and of Christianity and Islam, show up in Goa's cuisine, as beef is not uncommon in Goa (practicing Hindus do not eat beef).

 

 

Ingredients (3 to 5 servings): 

1 1/4 pounds ground lamb

2/3 teaspoon ground cumin 

2/3 teaspoon ground turmeric

2/3 teaspoon ground pepper

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 finely chopped onion

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 green chili pepper (serrano is good for this), chopped

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped coriander (also called cilantro)

2 eggs

1/2 cup bread crumbs (fine not panko) 

 

Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix them together well. Form the mixture into meatballs about the size of pingpong balls.

For the curry sauce:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onion (small chop)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 whole cloves

10 to 12 curry leaves

2 cardamom pods, slit 

1 1/2 inch piece of cinnamon stick

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder (or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons sweet paprika)

1 or 2 green chilies, left whole, but slit, or chopped up (your choice)   

1 cup water

1 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup crushed tomato

3/4 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon salt (more or less by your preference)

(optional) 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup chopped coriander (cilantro) 

In a large skillet (or pan), add the oil over medium heat, then add the onion and saute for 90 seconds, then add the garlic, cloves, curry leaves, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick; saute 1 minute. Add the ground turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, Kashmiri chili powder (or cayenne pepper and paprika), crushed tomatoes and the green chilies; mix everything around; then, add 1 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Allow the sauce to come to a light boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a nice gentle simmer and let cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and allow the sauce to return to a gentle simmer, then stir in the garam masala, salt and sugar. Now carefully add the meatballs to the sauce and cover the skillet/pan with a lid or foil. Let cook for 5 minutes, then remove the lid/foil and turn each meatball, cover the pan again, reduce the heat to low and cook another 8 minutes. Remove the lid and sprinkle the chopped coriander over the curry. Use a fork to mix about half of the chopped coriander into the sauce. Remove the curry from the heat and let sit just a minute or two before serving with rice on the side and/or naan or chapati flatbread. (Note: If you'd like to make your own chapati flatbread, here is the recipe: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/10/easy-flatbread-of-indian-subcontinent.html    

 

WORD HISTORY:

Clad-This word was actually the past tense and past participle (now archaic) of "(to) clothe," used adjectivally; thus, "clad" means "clothed, covered." In the Middle Ages, the adjective form was "cladde" (the ending 'e' pronounced 'eh'), then "clad."

For the verb "clothe," here is the link to that article: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2012/11/its-about-coalitions-not-purity-part_22.html?m=1

Gravy & Meatballs with Gorgonzola Polenta

Oh, this is so good! 

 

For those unaware, Gorgonzola is a blue cheese from the north of Italy, and it is a protected product in Italy, and within the European Union; which means, that to be called "Gorgonzola," it has to be produced within certain geographic areas in northern Italy, and only with specific ingredients. I tend to use "Gorgonzola piccante," which is aged longer and has a sharper flavor; although, "Gorgonzola dulce" has somewhat less sharpness, but it is still very good. While Gorgonzola is likely sold in just about all supermarkets and cheese shops, if you can't find it, you can try Roquefort, a blue cheese from France, or really any blue cheese you like.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound ground beef (80/20 meat to fat ratio)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup finely chopped or grated onion

2 cloves minced garlic

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon thyme, crushed in the palm of your hand

In a bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix them together well by hand. Form the mixture into meatballs the size of golf balls, and no fair trying to substitute real golf balls (I've tried that, and no matter how long I cooked the golf balls, they were too tough). You should get 9 or 10 meatballs by using the amounts above.

 

Gravy:

 

2 1/2 cups beef broth

1/3 cup chopped carrot (smaller chop)

2 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon oil (olive or sunflower)

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 teaspoon Gravy Master

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

 

Add the butter and oil to a skillet over medium heat, when the butter is melted, add the finely chopped onion and carrot and saute for 1 to 2 minutes before adding the minced garlic and saute another minute. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir everything; then, gradually add the beef broth, stirring constantly. When the gravy thickens, stir in the Gravy Master and Worcestershire sauce and let cook another 2 to 3 minutes.

Polenta:

 

1 cup polenta

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk 

3 tablespoons butter

salt (the butter and broth should supply enough salt)

1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola piccante 

In a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat, heat the milk and broth until it just starts to boil, then stir in the polenta little by little (initially using a whisk is recommended; it will help to prevent lumps), then continue stirring (I usually change to a spoon) until the polenta is nice and thick (4 to 6 minutes?). Stir in the butter until it is completely melted and well mixed in. I don't mix the cheese into the polenta (see below).

Serving:

I use shallow bowls for this, because they will allow you to add a good bit of gravy to top the meatballs and polenta. In each shallow bowl, add some of the crumbled Gorgonzola, then add the polenta and smooth it over, then add 2 or 3 meatballs and cover with gravy. If you prefer, you can add the polenta, then sprinkle the crumbled Gorgonzola on top and proceed from there.

                                             

 

WORD HISTORY:

Fawn (Fain)-This "fawn" is the verb form, which is unrelated to the noun (baby deer).^ It is closely related to 'fain,' which was once spelled with a 'g' in the middle. The origin of the verb "fawn" is uncertain, although the Indo European root "pek," meaning "to make pretty," has been supported by some, with that meaning then extending to a meaning of "glad, happy, pleased," with the Indo European 'p' rendered as 'f' in Old Germanic, which had "faganaz," an adjective with the same meanings. This gave Old English the (dialectal?) verb forms "fægnian/fagnian," meaning "to celebrate, to be glad, to be happy with." The "fagnian" form then became "faunen," and then "fawnen," before the modern form, and it was often used in the Middle Ages in regard to dogs "wagging their tails as a display of happiness." This became the basis of the modern more negative meaning of "showing a groveling and flattering devotion to someone in order to gain or retain favor with them." The Old Germanic form produced the Old English adjective "fægen," meaning "glad, joyful, cheerful," which then became "fain," where it has remained for hundreds of years, although it is not a terribly common word in more modern times; at least, not in American English, but I'm not certain about in the UK and elsewhere. Many of the related forms in the other Germanic languages have died out, but there are a few that have survived into modern times: Icelandic has the adjective "feginn," Norwegian has the adjective "fegen" and Swedish has the adjective "fägen," all meaning "happy, merry." Old Saxon,^^ the Saxon that remained in what is now northern Germany after some of their kinsmen sailed to Briton, once had "fagan" and Old High German had "faginon" meaning, "to be merry."

^ For the noun's history, here's the link:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2023/10/scrambled-eggs-smoked-salmon-wrap.html?m=1

 

^^ Old Saxon became part of the dialects of Low German.