Forcemeat Balls

A community recipe by Anonymous

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

Introduction

This is to accompany poultry roasting at Gas 5/190 degrees C. OH found the basic recipe in an old Good Housekeeping book from the 50s. I tweaked it to freshen up the ingredients.

Ingredients

Serves: 3-4

2 ounces vegetarian coarsely grated vegetable shortening (freeze overnight to make it easier to grate)
4 ounces breadcrumbs
2 ounces chopped dry cured bacon (small bits)
Zest and juice of 1 small unwaxed lemon
1 large beaten egg
chopped fresh curly parsley

Method

Forcemeat Balls is a community recipe submitted by Anonymous and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

Stir together the coarsely grated vegetable shortening (freeze overnight to make it easier to grate) and breadcrumbs with a fork. Stir in the chopped bacon. Stir in enough chopped fresh parsley to fleck the mixture evenly. Stir in the lemon zest then the juice.

Add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly until it comes together.

Form mixture into 6-8 balls.

Lay each ball on a greased shallow baking tin and flatten slightly into a vague patty shape.

Bake for 30 min, turning once halfway through the cooking time.

Additional Information

We have this as part of a roast chicken dinner, but it can be served with pork, chops, grilled meats. The lemon could be replaced by chopped sour cherries. Toasted nuts could be added. The bacon bits could be left out for veggies.

Serves 3-4 if you have 2 each