French Canadian Meatball Stew Recipe

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Spread flour out in a thin even layer on a baking sheet.

Roast the flour in the preheated oven until medium brown in color 10 to 15 minutes; stir often and watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove the flour from the baking sheet immediately once the desired color has been reached; set aside in a shallow bowl to cool.

Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat and cook and stir the onion until translucent about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion to a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl mix the cinnamon nutmeg and cloves; stir the spice mix into the onion. Place ground pork parsley egg and bread crumbs into the bowl and mix to combine thoroughly. Form the meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs; roll each meatball in the roasted flour. Reserve unused flour.

Pour the chicken broth into the pot bring to a boil over medium heat and carefully drop in the meatballs a few at a time stirring to keep them from sticking on the bottom. Drop in the bay leaf. Simmer the meatballs for 20 minutes; mix in the potatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender and the broth has reduced an additional 20 minutes. Transfer the meatballs into a bowl with a slotted spoon.

Remove and discard bay leaf. Mix remaining roasted flour with cold water in a cup and gradually whisk the flour mixture into the simmering broth to thicken. Bring the gravy to a full boil and cook stirring constantly until the gravy thickens about 5 minutes. Return the meatballs to the stew and serve.