I overheard a lady saying she was making porcupine meatballs for dinner. Is it really made out of porcupine or is it just called that, and if so why? Does anyone have the recipe?

-- Julie Ann (julie@turbonet.com), March 16, 2002

Answers

Well, you take 2 lbs. of ground porcupine..........

Just kidding! It is really a ground beef meatball but has rice in it and the kind of sticks up making it look like porcupine quills..well, sort of...don't know who came up with it cause you have to use your imagination a bit. It is basically the same recipe you use to make stuffed cabbage or kind of like a meatloaf mix, but with rice. Here is my version:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 egg
spices of your choice (I use season salt, pepper, italian seasoning, and parsley)
1/2 med. onion, minced
1 garlic clove minced (or garlic powder)
1/2 cup rice
2 cans totmatoe sauce
1 tsp. worcheshire sauce

Mix everything except the sauces all together like you would a meatloaf and form into golf ball size meatballs. Put into a single layer into a covered dish or roaster. Mix the sauces together and pour over all the meatballs. Cover and bake about 45 min. to 1 hour (until rice is cooked through). My family loves this!

-- Karen (mountains_mama2@hotmail.com), March 16, 2002.

porcupine meat is actually pretty good,, never had it as meatballs though

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), March 16, 2002.

Is this the same recipie that people used to call "Sputniks" after the Russian space ships?

-- Kelly (homearts2002@yahoo.com), March 16, 2002.

What kind of rice? Real rice or fake stuff?

-- Kristean Thompson (pigalena_babe@yahoo.com), March 16, 2002.

I do mine alittle different than the first response,I mix my spices,rice,and hamberger,then brown in a hot skillet. After that I put it all in a crock pot and and a large can of V8,then let it smimmer. The rice pooches out and you have porcupine Balls.- Oh yea,Long cooking rice--Loretta

-- Daryll in NW FLA (twincrk@hotmail.com), March 17, 2002.

Hi Julie Ann, My hubby gave me a great new cookbook for Christmas, it's a venison cookbook. The very first recipe I tried out of it was for Barbecued Porcupine Meatballs. YUMMY is all I can say. Here it is.... Barbecued Porcupine Meatballs

Meatballs: 1 lb. lean ground venison, crumbled 1/2 cup instant white rice 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly freshly ground pepper 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (or more if you like a little spice in your life.

Sauce: 1 bottle (12 oz.) chili sauce 2/3 cup grape jelly 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Heat oven to 400F. In large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Shape mixture into 16 meatballs, 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Arrange meatballs in 8-inch square baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients in 1-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until jelly is melted, stirring constantly.

Pour heated sauce over drained meatballs. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until sauce is hot and bubbly. Serve meatballs over mashed potatoes or hot cooked noodles, if desired.

Tip: this recipe can be made into an appetizer if meatballs are made smaller.

Per Serving: Calories: 542, Protein: 25g, Carbohydrate:68g, Fat: 20g, cholesterol: 98g, Sodium: 1478g, Exchanges: 3/4 starch, 3 medium-fat meat, 2 vegetable, 3/4 fat.

Hope you like it, we love it. Hubby says 2 thumbs up. Kim in Indiana :-D

-- Kim in Indiana (kwcountrygirl@aol.com), March 18, 2002.

My English Mother always called them "Rissoles", made with ground sirloin and rice.

-- Helen Banham (ghbanham@shaw.ca), March 19, 2002.

I do mine different, too, I use 1 lb. hamburger or ground venison or ground pork, 1 small onion,diced fine, 1/2c regular rice, uncooked. Make into 1 inch balls.

Bring 1 can of tomato soup plus 2 cans of water to a boil. Drop in meatballs and simmer about 45 minutes. I serve these with additional rice or mashed potatoes. My kids love them.

-- Gayle in KY (gayleannesmith@yahoo.com), March 27, 2002.