So one night while we were at Crews Inn in Trinidad, we had what we call a "heavy hors d'oeuvres" cocktail party for folks on two other boats, Rocking Horse and Receta (in Grenada a few weeks later, we added a fourth R, Richard Cory, to this mix, if you can believe it). Anyway, I was in a mid-century mood, and so made cocktail meatballs adapted from a Southern Living magazine recipe, and I made my mother's famous-in-our-family Party Cheese Ball. The latter is one of those recipes that came directly from one of the large American food conglomerates (Kraft) and started appearing in the late 50's to help sell various products. In the case of the cheese ball, they actually managed to hit TWO Kraft products - Philadelphia Cream Cheese, and Cracker Barrel Cheddar. My mom started making them in the late 60's, so I'm guessing that's about when the recipe first appeared. The Party Cheese Ball photo below is actually stolen from a blog about retro food - you can find it here: http://www.midcenturymenu.com/ - because I forgot to take my own that night. Normally, the cheese ball is rolled in chopped pecans or walnuts (the Hough family favors the latter), but as I had none on hand, my cheese ball for the cocktail party actually looked like the one in the photo. I must say, as almost always happens when this particular cheese ball appears, the guests were doing some very serious scarfing. I did spice up the meatballs a bit in honor of our Trinidad locale, and they were pretty popular too.
Just in case anyone was feeling the need for something slightly more healthy (those mid-century types were definitely not worrying too much about calories, fats, or processing), I also offered a veggie tray with salt or Adobo season "sin pimiento".
I included my now-favorite item for a veggie tray, raw Christophene (a.k.a. chayote, if you are looking for it in your local market.
So now for the recipes.
Recipe: Cranberry Meatballs, Trinidad Style
First prepared: Onboard Raconteur at Crews Inn Marina, January 2013
2 pounds ground chuck
2 large eggs
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
(Note: I use Panko, because I prefer it for everything that calls for breadcrumbs - expensive item in the Caribbean)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 (16-ounce) can cranberry sauce
1 (12-ounce) jar chili sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
Note: I added a liberal dose of Matouk's West Indian Hot Sauce, readily available in US grocery stories (or at least the ones I frequent)
Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Shape mixture
into about 54 (1-inch) balls.
Cook meatballs, in batches, in a large skillet over
medium-high heat until browned (about 5 minutes); remove meatballs from pan,
and drain well on paper towels.
Stir together cranberry and chili sauces and next 5
ingredients (including the Matouk's) in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, and cook, whisking
occasionally, 5 minutes or until smooth. Add meatballs; reduce heat to low, and
cook, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes or until centers are no longer
pink.
To make ahead, place cooked meatballs in a zip-top
plastic freezer bag, and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator, and cook,
stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated.
This made enough for seven at the cocktail party, and for one leftover meal for the three of us.
Recipe: Party Cheese Ball
First prepared: Chillicothe, Ohio c. 1969
2 8 ounce packages, Philadelphia Cream Cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (the sharpest Cracker Barrel you can find)
1 tablespoon chopped pimiento (in a jar)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh green pepper (use green, not other colors)
1 tablespoon chopped onion
Note: My mom always uses the whole small jar of pimiento, and at least half a green pepper and a like amount of onion, and so do I.
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (maybe this is a Kraft product too?)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
cayenne pepper and salt to taste
chopped pecans or walnuts for covering the ball
Soften both cheeses, or use a food processor (this produces a more homogeneous but equally tasty result), and combine. Add the pimiento, green pepper, onion, Worcestershire, lemon, and cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Roll the ball in the chopped nuts if desired (it's good with or without, in my opinion, but the nuts makefor a slightly prettier presentation and a tiny bit more sophistication in the final product).
Wrap the ball in wax paper and then in foil and refrigerate; be sure to take it out well before you plan to serve it - an hour or even a little more.
