article interlingual: Cookbook review: The Bowler's Meatball Cookbook

Recipe Tested: Beef and Chorizo Balls
Suggested prep and cook time: 50 mins
Serves: 6-8
Difficulty: 3/10

Choosing the specific recipe from ?The Bowler?s Meatball Cookbook? was the hardest task in reviewing this book. There is a choice of fish, meat and veggie balls, all of which looked extra tasty, however my dining guests were meat eating fish haters so I chose the Beef and Chorizo Balls with confit garlic mayonnaise, a thoroughly good choice.

What you need:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 shallots finely chopped
1 large free range egg (beaten)
500g beef chuck steak, minced
200g cooking chorizo, diced
400g white rice cooked (uncooked 100g)
200g Manchego cheese
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
100g breadcrumbs
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Bowler 2 Before you start, make sure you have cooked the rice and chopped everything as this will help to save time. Start by cooking the shallots on a low heat for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and stir for another 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Then, add all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix with your hands until it?s all combined.The Bowler adds a nice little piece of advice to check the flavour; make a small patty and fry it off, then taste it. This way you can decide how much seasoning you want, however I?d say the recipe is spot on.

Next, line two baking trays with non stick baking parchment (works a treat, don?t use foil!) and cook at 220 degrees Celsius or gas mark 7 for 30 minutes and Bob?s your uncle! I served these ones as suggested, with the confit garlic mayonnaise which can be made from scratch (do it before the meatballs though, as the process takes a while) and rocket. ?I then sprinkled some of the Manchego cheese on top and served them with gherkins on ciabatta. It is as scrumptious as it sounds. The book has a lovely section at the back on the sauces and accompaniments, such as the confit garlic mayonnaise I used and Jerusalem artichoke gratin (which I really want to try), so you can make proper meatball banquets.

Bowler 3 The recipe is easy, fairly quick and extremely tasty. The chorizo makes the meatballs flavoursome and adds another layer of texture, making them anything but bland. These are fillers though, so don?t be surprised if you can?t finish 4 ? I tried and failed. These would be great for a dinner party as they are quick and can be served on a bun, rather than with the usual pasta (yawn). The meatballs also work brilliantly as next day leftovers, as there were so many I had them for lunch cold with rocket and harissa cous cous and it hit the spot!
finished balls Jez Felwick is the Bowler, and he rides around the country in the Lawn Ranger (his grass covered van) serving meatballs to the masses. A regular on the London street food scene, Jez also makes appearances at farmers markets and festivals throughout the summer. If you want to find Jez and the Lawn Ranger then follow him on twitter @TheBowlerUK.