Ixta's Guava, Curry & Chile Meatballs

Photo by:

Kim Lightbody and Pedro Pinho

Recipe excerpted from Fusão: Untraditional Recipes Inspired by Brasil by Ixta Belfrage with photographs by Kim Lightbody and Pedro Pinho, published by Interlink Publishing Group.

If you've ever tried Calabresa sausages in Brazil-which are modeled on Calabrian sausages you'll know that they are superior to just about any other sausage out there (don't get me started on my contempt for English sausages, which lack flavor and texture and are always filled to the brim with rusk and fillers). Fresh Calabresa sausages are hard to come by (unless you can get to a Brazilian butcher), which is why I've come up with these meatballs. Just like Italian and Brazilian sausages, they are packed full of flavor and have a chunky texture.

I've added a few of my favorite untraditional flavors here-guava jam, curry powder, Scotch bonnet and mustard-and the result is sweet, sticky and completely addictive.

These meatballs go incredibly well with the feijiio and the Blood oranges with chile ginger-garlic oil. You could also shape them into patties and serve them in buns with a zingy herb and onion salad, or with fried eggs.

Ingredients

14oz (400g) ground pork (not lean!)
5oz (140g) pancetta or lardons (chopped into roughly ¼ in ½ cm cubes)
3 tbsp guave jam (or another tropical jam like mango or pineapple)
1 ½ tbsp chopped red chile condiment (or store-bought chopped chile condiment)
2 tsp tomato paste
2 tsp English mustard
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra fat shaping and frying
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 ½ tsp medium curry powder
¼ tsp Surya Salt or fine sea salt
¼ tsp ground allspice
About 30 twists of freshly cracked Aranya Black Pepper

Methods

Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix until thoroughly combined-make sure you incorporate the guava jam, tomato paste and mustard thoroughly.
With lightly oiled hands. form into 8 meatballs. squeezing as you go so that they are compact.
Heat a large frying pan on high heat. Once hot, fry, turning, until crisp and well browned all over-about 4 minutes. Transfer to a baking pan and finish cooking in the oven for 5 minutes.
Serve the meatballs with the feijao. with salad or in a sandwich.