Lamb Meatballs With Spiced Tomato Sauce Mint And Feta Recipe 495 Recipes

LAMB MEATBALLS WITH SPICED TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. In a large bowl, mix together the onion, cream, egg yolks, cinnamon, cumin, red pepper and cayenne. Put the lamb in the bowl, and season it aggressively with salt and pepper. Add the bread crumbs and parsley, and combine the mixture well. Shape the meat into balls that are a little larger than golf balls.
• Grease a baking pan with olive oil, and put the meatballs onto it, spaced evenly. Place beneath the broiler, and cook, turning once or twice, until the meatballs are well browned, approximately 5 to 7 minutes, then set meatballs aside. Turn oven to 400.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill, or whizz them quickly in a food processor. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat for a minute, then add olive oil, rosemary and red pepper and shake to combine. Cook for another minute, then add onion, thyme, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne and bay leaf and sauté until the onions are translucent, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar, orange juice and peel, along with salt and pepper.
• Cook for 8 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat, until reduced by a third. Adjust seasoning.
• Pour the tomato sauce into a large baking dish that you can put on the table. Transfer the meatballs to the sauce, putting them about ½ inch from each other. Bake for 15 or 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the meatballs are cooked through.
• Top with crumbled feta and scattered mint.

LAMB AND FETA MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the garlic. When the garlic sizzles, quickly add the tomatoes and a generous grinding of pepper. Cook over a high heat for about 4 minutes, until the tomatoes collapse.
• In a bowl, mix the lamb and herbs together. Add the egg, season, and use your hands to mix together until it forms a paste. Crumble the feta into medium-sized pieces and add half to the mixture. Form into 20 even-sized balls.
• Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan - large enough to take the meatballs in one layer - until very hot. Add all the balls at once (or cook in 2 batches) and sear on 1 side; shake the pan to turn them all at once. Fry for a total of 6 minutes on high to brown on all sides. Don't worry if some fall apart. Lower the heat to medium, add the tomato and garlic sauce and stir.
• To serve, scatter the remaining feta over the meatballs and garnish with the lightly toasted pine nuts and extra mint leaves.