Impulsive kitchen gadget buys !

I have accumulated over the years various bits of kitchen kit from top end knives to cheap and cheerful peelers and everything in between. Every now and then though a bit of kit comes my way that looks good, sounds good when you read the box and makes you think your kitchen life will be easier and all you have to do is spend the £4.99 which is the universal costs of kitchen easy street gadgets !
I am afraid though that more often than not the word crap springs to mind when I get home and start to use the item in question. The piece of kit then gets put away in a cupboard or a kitchen draw where it eventually ends up being thrown away or if possible wrapped as a present to give to a foodie friend !

The Meat Baller....I kid you not !

This looks more like something a Vet would use than your happy go lucky cook but a friend of mine went on holiday to the States a while ago and while in Philadelphia she spotted this handy kitchen piece of kit and thought she would buy it for me as a present ! At the time I thought how sweet but after using them once they ended up in the aforementioned kitchen dungeon draw where they have rotted away alongside that Oasis CD and my 2009 Weight Watchers class free Voucher !
However the other day while having a bit of a Spring clean I stumbled across the Meatballer and thought I would give it another go and make some Pork and Black Pudding meat balls as a test.
Unfortunately once again they were as much use as alcohol free beer !!!  The trouble is that you have to almost shape them into round little balls and then put them into the baller which to me defeats the objects of the blooming contraption totally and then when you squeeze the gadget together in order to get perfectly shaped balls you cannot get the balls out of the thing without destroying them completely !
So before this bit of kit goes into Kitchen gadget heaven forever if you want it let me know I suppose you could melt it down or put a big chain on it and use it as a "Big up Gangster Daddy necklace"
Having started the meatball process and in need of comfort food due to the stress caused by the gadget I  decided to finish the Meatball dish which I served with a Tomato, Mushroom, Chili and Lentil stew which went a long way to distressing me ! I think I need to go into therapy !

the recipe.....

The meatballs were just Pork sausage meat and black pudding mixed together and then seasoned in a bowl and then BY HAND (!!!!) I shaped them into balls and then cooked them in an oven at 180 degrees C for about 15 minutes.

To make the sauce put one diced onion, 2 crushed garlic cloves, one sliced chili and a handful of sliced mushrooms into a pan with a large glug of olive oil. When everything is nicely coloured add 400g of chopped tomatoes (tinned is fine.) stir and then cover with your pan lid and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the lid and then add 150 grams of cooked lentils and cook until you have a nice thick stew.
Serve in a bowl with your meatballs and enjoy !