Lamb Meatballs With Spiced Tomato Sauce
crisp lamb meatballs cooked through in a fragrant,
vaguely North African sauce of tomato sauce zipped up
with orange juice and warm spices,
then topped with feta and mint.
For the meatballs
1 medium onion, peeled and finely diced
¼ cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks, extra-large
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch red-pepper flakes
Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 pounds ground lamb
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
¼ cup chopped parsley
For the sauce
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small sprig rosemary
Red-pepper flakes to taste
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon white sugar
¼ cup orange juice
1 3-inch strip of orange peel, pith removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the topping
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons thinly sliced mint leaves
Nutritional Information
Preparation
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.
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Aromatic Lamb Meatballs
Total:1 hr 25 min
Active: 35 min
Yield: approximately 78 lamb meatballs
Level: Easy
1 pound ground lamb
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
1/2 teaspoon gr cinnamon
1 teaspoon gr cumin
1 teaspoon all spice
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons semolina
1 egg
Veg oil for frying
Directions:
Put lamb in bowl with scallions
Sprinkle spice, semolina, egg over top and work in to meat.
Place in ice box for 1/2 hour.
Line a baking dish with plastic wrap and scoop
out a scant teaspoon of the mix. Roll in your hands to form a ball and place on lined baking dish.
Have a bowl of cold water beside you to dampen your hands; this helps them too get sticky for rolling the meat balls.
When you are ready to cook them, heat 1/2 inch oil in a frting pan. Line another baking sheet with a kitchen towel, and when the oil is hot, fry the meatballs in batches with out over crowding the pan.
Cook for about 1 minute on each side, or until golden brown all over.
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Lamb Meatballs and Sauce
Prep
20 m
Cook
1 h
Ready In
1 h 50 m
"These baked, ground lamb meatballs are a quite flavorful alternative to traditional meatballs."
Ingredients
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 pounds ground lamb
1 egg, beaten
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne pepper
3 cups tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
Directions
1Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; oil lightly.
3Combine bread crumbs and milk in a small bowl. Soak bread crumbs until milk is absorbed, about 30 minutes.
4Combine bread crumb mixture, lamb, egg, garlic, olive oil, tomato paste, rosemary, cumin, salt, oregano, black pepper, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.
5Form lamb mixture into 2-inch meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet.
6Cook meatballs in the preheated oven until they are slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
7Combine meatballs, tomato sauce, chicken stock, fresh mint, and red pepper flakes in a large sauce pan over medium heat until meatballs are no longer pink inside, about 45 minutes.