Pork Stew with Meatballs • Québec's Ragoût de Boulettes | Club Foody

 

Every year by the end of November or beginning of December, my mother sat in front of the stove toasting her flour. This was an indication she was going to make a very popular traditional Holiday dish from Québec… Pork Stew with Meatballs which in French is Ragoût de Boulettes & Pattes de Cochon!
 
This was and still is one of my favorite meals during the Holidays. Served with boiled potatoes, a generous slice of Tourtière along with Pickled Beets (and the juice from the jar), this is a great comfort food that I truly enjoy! You might think this dish is too ordinary to be on the menu for Christmas but it’s not because the secret lies in the toasted flour…
 
From one household to another, this recipe is slightly different. Most people won’t even bother to toast the flour and simply buy it at the store. Others though might do the process until the color turns lightly brown. In my mother’s situation, she was toasting until it was dark in color just like the way I do. The longer it toasts, the deeper the flavors are.
 
Making Pork Stew with Meatballs • Ragoût de Boulettes & Pattes de Cochon is a long process, I won’t fool you on that but, like some recipes such as Bouillabaisse or Coq au Vin, it’s so worth it! Let’s quickly recap…
 
– When the flour is toasted and cooled, we have to sift it then set it aside. From there, we have to cook the pork hocks which take anywhere between 1 to 1:30 hours. When they’re done, the water from the pot is kept warm while we remove skin, bones and fat from the hocks and cut the meat into small pieces.
– Next, we form the meatballs and roll them in the flour. Be patient, it usually makes 100 of them!
– We’re now back to the pot, add more water (from 12 to 14 cups), bring it back to a boil and add the meat from the hocks and the meatballs. When the water comes back to a boil again, we use the rest of the toasted flour, sifting it over the pot – this helps to thicken the gravy as well as giving a nice dark color to it. We cook for 3 hours total.
– After 1:30 hours through cooking, we’ll boil water in a medium pot before adding pork sausage and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. When time is up, we remove the casings and discard them. We add the de-greased sausage links to the pot with the meat and cook for the remaining 1:30 hours. During the cooking time, it’s also important to taste and adjust the seasonings; it will probably need more salt, freshly ground black pepper as well as Mixed Spice also known in French as Épices Mélangées.
 
This is a great recipe to make ahead because it freezes so well. After the stew is at room temperature, I simply portion it into large containers and transfer to the freezer until needed. To thaw out, I put the container at the bottom of my fridge and let it sit overnight.
 
This Pork Stew with Meatballs • Ragoût de Boulettes & Pattes de Cochon brings back nice memories and this is exactly what the Holidays are all about… tradition! Bring this delicious Québec dish to your table this season…
Bon Appétit!
 
Here are other delicious Québec Holidays recipes for you to try…
– Tourtière
– Tarte au Sucre ~ Sugar Pie
– Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Bourguignon)
– Salmon Pie
– Sucre à la Crème ~ Butter & Cream Fudge
– Old Fashioned Baked Beans with Bacon
and for even more Holidays recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Holidays & Events

For ingredient amounts, directions and much more, visit https://clubfoody.com/cf-recipes/pork-stew-with-meatballs-ragout-de-boulettes-pattes-de-cochon/

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