Spicy Meatballs a Keto Snack

These are an ease me in sort of spiced meatball. As with all spiced foods, you can amp up the heat easily. I've used jalapeno peppers. This should keep these palatable to those who are just beginning the decent, into the depths of hell's fire. The next logical step would be red chilies, then cayenne, on and on, moving up the Scoville scale. The Trinidad Scorpion is right at the top. I don't think I'm going there any time soon.

Supplies

I have used:

1kg Lean ground beef (slightly more)

11 Jalapeno peppers

13 Dill pickled garlic cloves

½ tsp Salt

2 Farm fresh eggs

Habanero with black pepper Monetary jack cheese

Cherry tomatoes

Fresh pickling cucumber

A sprig of Oregano (Mine was in flower)

Step 1: Jalapenos

Remove stems.

Step 2: Garlic

This is garlic from my sour pickles. They are brined in a crock at room temperature for two or three weeks then refrigerated. Cucumbers, garlic, dill and horseradish leaves. As we finish the pickles, we transfer the garlic into a jar of its own. It takes a long time to pickle the garlic enough to be eaten like a pickle, but it can be used in recipes right away.

Step 3: The Chopper

This is an amazing little tool.

Step 4: Chop

Add a few peppers and cloves at a time and chop them as fine as you like. I'm making little meatballs so I've gone down pretty fine.

Step 5: Save the Bits

The chopper gets pretty dirty. I rinse it over a sieve and save the bits. After rinsing, tap the sieve onto a paper towel and blot the extra moisture out.

Step 6: Salt

Salt isn't good for us, I know that. A little can go a long way. The half tsp is plenty.

Step 7: Mix in Meat

Roughly mix the pepper/garlic mix into the ground. The less you mix, the less tough the meatballs will be.

Step 8: Break and Mix Eggs

Always break your eggs into a bowl of their own. No one wants a piece of shell in their meatball. Whip up the egg so it will mix easily with the meat.

Step 9: Mix It Up

This will be the last time you mix. Take care not to over mix, you can make the meatballs tough.

Step 10: Test the Mix

Take a bit of the mix and fry it up. Put the bowl of mix in the fridge while you do this. I was perfectly happy with the flavor so no additional messing with it was needed.

Step 11: Preheat

Preheat the oven to 350°f. I have convection. With it on, I will cook these for 30 min if you don't, you may have to add cooking time.

Step 12: Prepare Trays

You will need two baking trays lined with parchment paper

Step 13: Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

124 beautiful little meatballs. Again, I must remind you, the less you manipulate them, the more tender they will be. Only roll them enough to do the job.

Step 14: Bake

Bake for 15min then rotate the pans and swap them top to bottom. Bake for another 15min and they should be done.

Step 15: Test the Largest

Pull the largest meatball out and check that its done. You could try a meat thermometer but these are pretty small. I cut it in half and make sure no red juices are present and the meat looks cooked. My wife absconded with the other half before I could snap the pic. She is mmming as I take notice. It's similar to ohming in yoga, it sounds to me like mmming is much more enjoyable.

Step 16: Remove From Oven

Remove the trays from the oven and move meatballs to a bowl. This could be the end of this instructable. But presentation is a large part of the food experience. As I prepare a plate for your critiquing, I'm reminded why chefs don't like strangers in the kitchen. My lovely wife is no stranger to the kitchen but, every time she walks by me, the bowl of meatballs becomes a bit smaller. Oh yes ,and that strange mmming sound is heard again.

Step 17: Garnish

OK its just a little meatball. It needs some help to become an exciting addition to the party. Flowering oregano looked good when I was checking on the cherry tomatoes. Come to think of it, the tomatoes looked amazing. Cucumbers are a must this year, we get 20 or more every day or so. Cheese, oh glorious cheese. Where would we be without cheese. Apologies to all the amazing vegan Instructables folks out there. I doubt that they would have gotten past the title of this creation any way. You may be able to make this with beyond meat burger patties, egg substitute and soy cheese. Hmm. Another Instructable idea hits me.

Step 18: Assemble and Plate

That's it. A lowly mini meatball has become a lovely appetizer.

I hope you enjoyed the ride today. Feel free to follow me, I have some more ideas for future Instructables.