Turkish Spiced Meatballs With Pomegranate Yogurt Sauce Recipes

SPICED MEATBALLS WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large straight-sided skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add onion, minced garlic, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; cook, stirring, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add cumin and cinnamon and cook, stirring, about 1 minute more. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a food processor; process to a paste.
• In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup broth; let stand 5 minutes. Add beef, onion paste, whole egg, and cilantro; mix with your hands to combine. With lightly dampened hands, form mixture into 28 balls, about 2 tablespoons each.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium-high. Working in batches (do not crowd pan), cook meatballs until browned on all sides, about 7 minutes a batch. Transfer to a plate; pour off fat from skillet. Return meatballs to pan; add 3/4 cup broth and sliced garlic. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer just until meatballs are cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and yogurt. In another bowl, whisk together cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup broth; whisk into broth in skillet. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then strain through a sieve into yogurt mixture, stirring to combine. Return to skillet and cook over medium, stirring constantly, until just bubbling and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 1 minute; season with salt. Add meatballs to sauce and heat through. Serve over rice, sprinkled with sumac, red-pepper flakes, and cilantro.

SPANAKOPITA CHICKEN MEATBALLS WITH SPICY CUCUMBER AND YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a bowl combine onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Squeeze the water out of the spinach until completely dry. Separate the spinach as you add it to garlic and onion. Add feta, chicken and grill seasoning to the bowl and a liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Mix the meat with veggies and feta and form 18 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place the meatballs on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes until they are golden and juices run clear.
• Place yogurt, garlic, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, cumin, coriander and a little salt in food processor and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve meatballs alongside sauce with toothpicks.

TURKISH SPICED MEATBALLS WITH POMEGRANATE YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make Sauce:
• Put yogurt in a paper towel-lined sieve set over a bowl and keep covered and chilled 8 to 12 hours.
• Boil pomegranate juice in a small heavy saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes. Keep warm off heat, covered.
• Make Meatballs:
• Soak whole slices of bread for 30 minutes in a mixing bowl filled with water, then fold and squeeze gently to remove as much water as possible.
• Pulse onion in a food processor until finely chopped, then add parsley and pulse again until finely chopped. Add lamb, bread (torn into pieces), allspice, red-pepper flakes, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pulse, stopping and scraping down sides, until combined. (Do not overblend.)
• Roll level tablespoons of meat mixture into balls (about 42), arranging them on plates or on another sheet pan.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line a large, rimmed sheet pan with foil.
• Heat olive oil and vegetable oil together in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until oils shimmer (put one meatball in to test; it should sizzle). Brown meatballs all over in batches of 10 to 12, turning occasionally with a spoon or shaking skillet (lower heat if oil begins to smoke), about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer, as browned, to lined sheet pan.
• Once all meatballs are browned, transfer the sheet pan to the oven and bake until meatballs are cooked through (cut one open to look, or use an instant-read thermometer; it should register 160°F), 10 to 15 minutes. Drain briefly on paper towels.
• Spoon drained yogurt into a small serving bowl and drizzle with pomegranate syrup, then swirl it in briefly with a spoon. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over top. Spear each meatball with a toothpick and serve yogurt alongside for dipping.

SPICED LAMB MEATBALLS WITH YOGURT AND HERBS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, use your hands to combine lamb, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, onion, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne. Beat 2 of the eggs and add to meat, mixing until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 24 hours to allow the seasonings to permeate the meat.
• Using wet hands, break off walnut-sized pieces of lamb mixture, roll into spheres and set aside on a baking sheet. You should have about 30 1-ounce meatballs.
• Heat oven to 225 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When shimmering, add meatballs in one layer and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. (Work in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan.) Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to blot any extra oil, then pile meatballs on a heatproof serving platter and keep warm in the oven.
• Pour off any excess oil from skillet and turn heat to high. Add broth and bring to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together yogurt; 1/2 teaspoon salt; remaining egg, beaten; and cornstarch. Pour yogurt mixture in a thin stream into the hot broth, whisking constantly. Turn heat down slightly and continue whisking until yogurt is heated through and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Do not let mixture boil.
• Pour hot yogurt sauce over meatballs. Sprinkle crumbled feta, sumac and crushed red pepper on top. Finish with pinches of turmeric, if using, and sprinkle with mint, dill and cilantro. Serve immediately with rice, orzo, pita bread or potatoes.

SPICY TURKEY MEATBALLS AND SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Place the bread in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the bread is in medium crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a small bowl and add the milk. Set aside for 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, sausage, prosciutto, bread mixture, Asiago, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Lightly combine the ingredients with your hands. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the eggs, and stir lightly with a fork to combine. With your hands, lightly roll the mixture into 2-inch-round meatballs and place them on the prepared sheet pans. Brush the meatballs with olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tops are browned and the centers are completely cooked. Pour the marinara sauce in a large, low pot, add the meatballs, and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the directions on the package. Drain and place the spaghetti in individual bowls, and top with 3 meatballs and lots of sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese on the side.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Place the bread in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the bread is in medium crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a small bowl and add the milk. Set aside for 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, sausage, prosciutto, bread mixture, Asiago, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Lightly combine the ingredients with your hands. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the eggs, and stir lightly with a fork to combine. With your hands, lightly roll the mixture into 2-inch-round meatballs and place them on the prepared sheet pans. Brush the meatballs with olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tops are browned and the centers are completely cooked. Pour the marinara sauce in a large, low pot, add the meatballs, and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the directions on the package. Drain and place the spaghetti in individual bowls, and top with 3 meatballs and lots of sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese on the side.

TURKISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Mix meat, bread crumbs, Parmesan, eggs, dry seasonings and half the chopped fresh herbs just until blended.
• Shape into 48 meatballs, each about 1 inch in diameter.
• Place on foil-covered rimmed baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 13 to 15 min. or until done (160ºF). Meanwhile, mix yogurt, feta cheese and remaining fresh herbs until blended.
• Serve meatballs with the yogurt mixture.