Recipe: Mrs. Murphy's Meatballs (using rice, cabbage and cream of tomato soup)

MRS. MURPHY'S MEATBALLS

"Man, I didn't know people were so crazy about meatballs! Since I mentioned that Mrs. Kathryn Murphy makes meatballs that are kinda special, I've been getting letters and phone calls for the recipe. So, here's the recipe right from Mrs. Murphy." - Joe Browne's Our Towne column (Browne's Our Towne column appeared daily in the Post-Gazette from 1969 until 1989.)

1 pound ground chuck
1/4 cup uncooked rice (not instant)
Green pepper, chopped fine
Small onion, chopped fine
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of tomato soup
1/2 soup can of water

You will need a large frying pan at least 2 inches deep. Pour the tomato soup and water in the frying pan; place over a low heat.

In large bowl, mix together thoroughly the meat, rice and vegetables. Form mixture into balls (our meatballs were about 1 1/2 inches).

Place the meatballs in the frying pan with the tomato soup. (This is important: The meatballs should be placed in the pan raw - do not fry.) Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.

Note: We used a food processor to chop the vegetables.

We served Mrs. Murphy's Meatballs with mashed potatoes and a green salad.

Source: Barbara Turcovsky of Valencia to In the Kitchen with Suzanne Martinson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 29, 2001