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Porcupine Meatballs

Adapted and updated from Liv O'Connell's recipe for Porcupines appearing in the Alcatraz Women’s Club Cook Book, Collected Recipes from Alcatraz Island, California 1952
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

for the meatballs:

  • 2 ¼ lb 96% lean ground beef
  • ⅔ cup uncooked basmati rice
  • 1 onion grated, with its juice grate it whole!
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
  • ⅓ cup chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 2-3 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
  • 2-3 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
  • 1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

for the sauce:

  • 1 quarter of an onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • ¼ loose cup Italian parsley
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 28 oz can whole tomatoes with juices
  • 2 8- oz cans of plain tomato sauce

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside. (We actually ended up with a few overflow meatballs and baked them in a greased loaf pan so be prepared)
  • In a large bowl, mix together all of the meatball ingredients until a uniform mixture forms. Roll them into about 1 1/2-2 inch balls and place in the baking dish about 3/4 inch apart in rows.
  • Place the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over the meatballs.
  • Create a tight lid with foil and bake for 1 hour, hour 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and the rice is tender. Keep an eye on the meatballs during the last 15 minutes and flip any meatballs that look to be drying out.
  • Serve hot.
  • We had it over some cabbage-spiked mashed potatoes but I've seen them served as-is, in sandwiches, over noodles, and even over more rice. I can see them being a fun appetizer as well.

Notes

I don't know what they did in the 1950s but use the leanest beef you can find because the meatballs go in the pan raw and cook in the sauce. Meat with a high-fat content will yield a very greasy and unappetizing dish. I have not tried this with ground chicken or turkey but if you do, let me know!
Keyword meatballs