DOUBLE CHEESE KANGAROO MEAT BALLS

Game meat is always fascinating. I feel there is a different thrill associated with it. Still remember my first experience of having Crocodile Meat Fritters at Jazz. So whenever Me and the Man get an opportunity to try out something new and exotic, we jump to it by all means.

It was a dinner date in the Winter of 2012 when I first had my eyes on some Kangaroo meat on a plate. But I was heavily pregnant at that time,so I had to give game meat a miss. It was an exotic dinner at KC's French Bistro LE FOU FROG . That was the only place in KC which was serving  Kangaroo meat at that point of time. As the man dug into his Kangaroo tenderloin, and I continued to give him lustful glances, I knew I had to taste it,when the time was right.

So while doing groceries at Sprouts one afternoon, a few different labels caught my eye at the Frozen Meat section: Venison and Kangaroo. 

I wasted no time,but picked up both. Venison Goulash post coming soon.

Yes, you are right. The Kangaroo was cooked that very night. No need to  waste time on that. I had already waited three years.

This Kangaroo meat was farm raised at the Durham Ranch in Gilette, Wyoming, It some of the largest exotic meat farms in the US. I had earlier tasted Bison meat from Durham Ranch, so I knew I could rely on the product with eyes closed. They offer a range of exotic game meat from Alpaca to Wild Boar.

While there are many tutorials or guides to help you cook an exotic meat, you tend to rely on your instincts a bit more. I asked the man how it had tasted. He remarked that it was a bit mature than Veal but tender than Beef. Nice !! The Durham Family Ranch website claimed that it tasted more like Venison and that any venison recipe could be substituted with kangaroo.

As the meat was ground, we decided to take the route of Meatballs. Once I had the meat out of the packaging, I noticed how red it was. Must be all those muscles which help the Kangaroo to hop around so much. I volunteered to make Double Cheese Meatballs and Debashish, my husband, offered to make a sauce for it. You could whip up these meatballs and serve them on their own, or add it your meat sauce and pasta or make a different sauce for it. Go easy on the ingredients so that you don't overpower the protein.

DOUBLE CHEESE KANGAROO MEAT BALLS: 

Ingredients: 

Meatballs: 
Kangaroo meat: Ground: 1 lb
Egg: 2 large
Creole Seasoning: 2 tbsp
Shredded Cheddar Cheese: 1 cup
Fresh Mozarella Cheese or String cheese: Cut into cubes
Red Onion: chopped: 1/2 large
Bread Crumbs: 1/4 cup

Sauce: 
Garlic Cloves: 4 to 5
Olive Oil: 2 tbsp
Parsley: 1 tsp
Salt and Pepper
White wine: 1 cup
Bell Pepper: 1 large: sliced (He used yellow)
Tomato paste: 2 tbsp

Procedure: 

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

In a large bowl mix in the meat, egg, chopped onion, shredded cheese, Creole seasoning and bread crumbs. Roll them in to meat balls of equal size.Do not over mix the ingredients and use a light hand when you are mixing them. Over mixing can harden he protein.

Cut the mozzarella or the string cheese into cubes. Put into a cube of cheese right in the middle of the meat ball and roll them in again in your hands to make a smooth ball. The idea is that when you cut in to the meatball, the mozzarella will ooze out. It works best with fresh mozzarella as string cheese can be sometimes tricky and might not melt uniformly.

Bake the meat balls in a pre-heated oven at 350F for 30 mins or till they are cooked through. Or you could brown them in a  pan and then bake them. The choice is yours.

SAUCE: 
In a separate non stick pan, add in the olive oil and mash the garlic cloves. Add in the garlic and peppers and saute them till the garlic turns aromatic. Make sure that the garlic doesn't burn. Add in the tomato paste and sautee for a couple of minutes. De-glaze the pan with the white wine and add in the meat balls.

Season with salt, pepper and parsley. We used dried parsley,but if you have fresh parsley, go ahead by all means.

Stir around a bit and let the sauce reduce till it coats the meat balls.

Serve hot with some bread or pasta. Pour yourself a large glass of crisp White wine to accompany your meal.

Bon Appetit !!!

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS POST: 

KANGAROO DINNER AT LE FOU FROG,KANSAS CITY : http://journotalk.blogspot.com/2015/03/le-foul-frog-eating-out.html

DURHAM RANCH: http://www.exoticmeatsandmore.com/durhamranch.aspx

SPROUTS: https://www.sprouts.com/