When I included these black pudding meatballs in Cook, Eat, Repeat, I thought they would be a niche choice, but I have been gratifyingly overwhelmed by the number of people who have made and loved these. Even when I thought take-up would be small, there was never a chance I would have left them out of the book: I love them far too much for that. I included them in the Loving Defence of Brown Food chapter, even if they are too cheery in their tomato sauce to count as brown food, exactly, as I felt they probably were going to be fully appreciated by true brown-food lovers. Even unapologetic meat eaters can be disgusted by the dark mysteries of blood. And while it's not entirely rational, our emotional responses so rarely are. Besides, I make no attempt now to convince anyone about these: I love them too much to waste making them for people who fail to appreciate them, no matter how brave they feel for trying. And cooking is by no means always altruistic. The quantities below make for a big old batch of black pudding meatballs, simply because they are one of my absolute favourite things to eat, an instant sparker of joy; I honestly feel so much better about life knowing there's always a container or three of them in the freezer. I thrill at their deep gloriousness every time I eat them. It's up to you what you eat them with but I must tell you that the Brown Butter Colcannon is sensational with them. But if I'm eating alone, I like them best with good bread and butter. For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
