Oh, Frikkadel! The One Where Murphy Waits for Us to Make Meatballs.

In any normal family, food is a bonding experience. Whether you're hiding snacks from each other; wishing you could dump mashed potato over their head or simply enjoying a meal together, it's a time to enjoy togetherness. Obviously, my family isn't normal (what do you expect, they produced ME, after all)...

I'm by no means a superstitious person. I stroke black cats (only Jet actually); I walk under ladders (mostly 'cos I'm short enough to fit underneath), and so far the number 13 has been rather good to me (except that my paternal gran was born on Friday, 13th April and died on Friday 13th September.) *cue creepy dum dum dum musical notes* But I digress...

Over the past few years something strange has happened everytime someone in our family has made frikkadels (Traditional South African meatballs, usually served with mash and veggies, where the leftovers are doused in Mrs Balls (chutney) for an awesome sandwich filling the next day). Everything from robberies; stabbings; car breakdowns and even 1 death (not from eating them, thankfully) Which has led to us apprehensively calling them "Badluck Frikkadels". Never mind the incident of the "mincing of words" that led to my grandfather receiving a raw one straight between the eyes. (Apparently it was going to be the pan).

Ultimately, we still make them and each time the recipe changes and just gets better, I suppose like anything it's about what you make of it, bad-luck or not, they always eventually bring out a smile or laugh.

Here's a rough idea of my recipe (it changes depending on my mood):

INGREDIENTS

500g-1kg  minced extra-lean beef (depending on how many frikkadels you want can yield about 24)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1-2 slices white bread soaked in a little water (this was a trick I learned from my gran)

1 tsp ground paprika; meat masala; chilli powder; and any other spice the mood calls for. 
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten

METHOD
Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Best is to use your hands.
Shape into 3-bite-sized balls by rolling and slightly flattening the mixture into balls.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and brown the frikkadels on both sides.
Cooking time varies but usually between 3-5mins depending on the size.
Serve on top of creamy garlic mashed potatoes.