Fresh, home-grown habaneros have a marvelous, fruity fire about them that enhances all kinds of dishes.
A few days ago I got the idea for habanero meatballs and started working out what I would put in them. (I was determined not to modify an existing recipe. I wanted to go on completely on my own.)
Yesterday I got comfortable with the components I’d been mulling, so I made these for race food. They were quite tasty, and I found the flavor/heat balance just about perfect. (That is not to say these are mild. There is a significant sear about these. If you consider Tabasco hot, these may be too much for you. Be very careful.)
Here’s what you need:
- 1 lb. ground chuck
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 2 ripe red habanero peppers, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, minced
- 1 white onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 egg
Mix all ingredients thoroughly. (I used a dough hook on a stand mixer.) Form the mixture into meatballs about 1 1/2″ in diameter. (They’ll be a little loose. Don’t worry; they’ll firm up nicely as they cook.) You’ll probably come up with about 24 of them.
I put them on a baking rack on a cookie sheet because I was wary of the amount of grease that would be produced (and it turned out that was warranted, so I recommend that).
Put them in a preheated 350 ºF oven for 30-40 minutes. (Check for 160 ºF internal temperature with a meat thermometer to be certain.) Pull them out and let them rest 5 minutes. Then, serve.
As I mentioned the other night, I love hot food but can’t tolerate it well. This totally looks like a recipe I need to try!
I was so pleased with how it came out! And of course you could drop to jalapenos or even leave the hot ones out and I think they’d still be tasty.
Now, I’m going to need you to create a meatless version
I’m going to work on that, my friend!