Cook with Us #9 - Spicy Mexican Bitterballen with Jalapeño Avocado dipping sauce.

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First off, huge thanks to @chefsteve , @pandamama and @offoodandart from the @cookwithus team for hosting this awesome weekly contest.

If you haven't entered yet, go and meet the lovely community of foodies sharing tips and home recipes from all over the world. Maybe even have a go at entering one of the weekly themes yourself. There's still plenty of time before the deadline for this week's Cinco de Mayo or Wildcard Avocado theme here

So for this week's entry, I decided to get a little inventive.
I initially made pulled pork for tortillas, and realized that I a) Made far too much, and b) Had a mad craving for bitterballen.

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So I made the tortillas for dinner yesterday, and decided for this week's theme, I could satisfy the craving, while giving this Dutch classic a Mexican Twist....

BUT WOULD IT WORK??

Traditionally, Bitterballen are crunchy little croquette balls filled with chopped beef thickened with a roux, enveloped in a simple breadcrumb coating and fried until golden. Add liberal slatherings of mustard and suddenly all is right with the world!

Directly translated, it means 'Bitter Balls', but don't let the name fool you. They aren't bitter at all, and the name actually derives from bittergarnituur, pub snacks or 'garnishes' locals would nibble on with alcohol, generally termed bitters.

Essentially, it's a pub food best served with beer.
Mexican food in general is great served with an ice-cold Cerveza, so going by that, and the fact that I had half a kilo of pulled pork left, I gave them a go.

Instead of the breadcrumb coating, I used flour and fine Polenta to echo the flavour of a corn tortilla.
To replace the mustard, I made a spicy Avocado, Jalapeño and Coriander dipping sauce and a fresh charred-corn salsa.
Fried until golden and crispy, I gave one a try.

Holy guacamole, folks. They. Are. Gooood!

As the gelatin in the pork helps to set the mixture as it cools, less flour is used to thicken them into a consistency dry enough to roll into balls. When fried, the heat melts the gelatin and results in a croquette much juicier than its beef counterpart. Scented with the warm aroma of cumin and cayenne, it has all the flavour and crunch of a taco in a single bite.

I might make pulled pork just for this in the future.

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Here's how I did it. (Feel free to half or even quarter the recipe, this is enough to feed a crowd!)

Pulled pork:

• 2 White Onions
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 1 Carrot
• 2 Jalapeños.
• 1 Granny Smith Apple
• 1 kg Pork Shoulder
• 1 Liter Chicken or Vegetable Stock (Store bought is fine!)
• 1/4 Cup White Spirit Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Natural Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp each Cayenne, Paprika, Cumin Powder, Coriander powder, Chilli Flakes, White Pepper and Black Pepper, dry toasted in a pan to release the aroma of Cinco de Mayo.
  ** Optional: 1/2 Tsp Liquid Smoke
  Extra Water to ensure pork is covered in liquid.

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Method

• Finely chop veggies or pulse in a food processor
• Place with the rest of the ingredients in a slow cooker on high for 6-8 hours or in a heavy-based pot on low for 2-3 hours
• Remove pork and while cooking liquid reduces by half, pull meat apart with two forks.
• Put meat back into the cooking liquid and taste for seasoning (Always season food cooked in stock right at the end, it gets a lot saltier as the broth reduces, you want just enough liquid to keep the pork moist, not swimming in broth)
• Allow to cool.

I used only half of the pork for the bitterballen. The rest can be used for tortillas or nachos as is, and freezes beautifully for up to a month. If you're feeding a crowd, by all means use all of it!

• Once cooled, test thickness by pressing a spoonful of cooled pork against the side of the pot. The gelatin in the pork is usually enough to set the broth. If it holds in a ball, it's thick enough, if not, a little help is needed.

To Thicken (if necessary.)

• Instead of a roux, make a Beurre manié by mixing equal parts softened butter and plain flour to make a paste. If using all the pork, about 2 Tbsp of each is plenty to thicken the mix.

• Warm the amount of pork you're using and whisk in little knobs of the Beurre manié at a time until the mixture begins to release from the bottom of the pot cleanly.

• Cover and allow to cool to room temperature again before placing in the fridge to chill.

(Now is a great time to make the dipping sauce and salsa, recipe below! )

To Coat:

Wet Mix

• 3 Eggs
• 50ml milk
• 1tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Good pinch of salt and a couple of cracks of black pepper

###Dry Mix

• 1 Cup Plain Flour

• 1 Cup Polenta or Corn Meal

• 1 Tsp Baking Powder

• 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

• 1 Tsp Salt and lots of black pepper

• 1 Litre oil for frying (I used canola)

Now, to the fun stuff:

Method

• Scoop tablespoons of pork mixture and roll into balls
• Using the wet-hand, dry-hand method (In my case with little to no success), dip first in flour mix, then egg, then back in the flour.
• When oil reaches 180C or 360F (or a pinch of flour dropped in the oil fizzles instantly), carefully drop in bitterballen, careful not to overcrowd the pot, and fry until golden brown.
• Drain on kitchen paper and season with salt immediately.

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Corn Salsa:

• 1 Cup corn Kernels
• 1 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 White onion, diced
• 1 Cup Tomatoes (I used little Roma Tomatoes, Quartered)
• 1 Cup Fresh Coriander
• 3 Radishes, finely sliced (this is optional, I just love them)
• Juice of 1 Lime (or lemon, because I can't find lime in SA at the moment)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• Heat oil in large pan (preferably cast iron) until smoking.
• Add corn and season with Cayenne. Allow for little char marks to form all over before removing from heat.
• Dice onion, quarter tomatoes and coriander and mix with corn while still warm.
• Squeeze in lemon and season.

Avo Jalapeño Sauce.

• 1 Large Ripe Avocado
• 2 Green pickled Jalapeños (feel free to use less at first to adjust the heat to taste.)
• 1/4 Cup steamed Pease
• 1/2 Cup Fresh Coriander
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1tsp Paprika
  *Extra water to thin the sauce.

Method.

• Place all but the water in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth.
• Add water a little at a time to thin to desired consistency, we're going for mayonaisse-y.
• Pass through a fine-mesh sieve to ensure silky smoothness and adjust with seasoning or lemon to taste.
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste.

For a crowd, set up a platter with bowls for the sauce and salsa, or get creative and plate decoratively for individual portions.

Best served with good friends and several servings of frosty lager