Moroccan Meatballs
- Replies 11
My family love trying different food and I allocate two nights to try new dishes.
This one we had last week and feedback was ' these are so good'
You can serve on a bed of rice and tossed salad or in a wrap with tomato , lettuce and purple onion, we had it in a wrap
Why not make double so you can have one on the first night and the other the next day
Serves 4
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
1. Meat –This recipe is also terrific with beef, and very good with chicken and turkey. No recipe adjustments. If baking the chicken or turkey meatballs, spray VERY well with oil!
2. Grating onion– Tried and proven, much loved technique for adding extra flavour into meatballs, keeping them soft, and avoiding the need to pre-cook diced onion. It works!
3. Minted yogurt– Blitzing / blending yogurt “breaks” it and makes it runny and very thin. Sometimes that’s what I want. But usually I want a bit of thickness. So to achieve that, blitz the mint with just some of the yogurt then stir the rest in later.
Alternatives – Stir very finely chopped mint into plain yogurt. Or just use plain yogurt mixed with a bit of garlic, lemon juice and salt.
4. Oven option– avoid stove splatter and meatballs will stay more round but you won’t get as good browning on them without overcooking them.
Preheat oven to Spray meatballs generously with oil then bake for 20 minutes at 220°C/450°F (200°C fan) until you get some light browning. Sometimes I put them on a rack to keep them round (spray rack with oil then put on a tray).
5. Suggested sides if you opt out of the pita pockets: Any kind of salad of choice . Plus a side of basmati rice
Nutrition assuming this serves 5 people, including 1 pita pocket per person and 1 1/2 tablespoons of lamb fat is discarded after cooking.
This one we had last week and feedback was ' these are so good'
You can serve on a bed of rice and tossed salad or in a wrap with tomato , lettuce and purple onion, we had it in a wrap
Why not make double so you can have one on the first night and the other the next day
Serves 4
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil (for cooking)
MEATBALLS:
- 500 g lamb mince (ground lamb) (Note 1)
- 1 small onion , grated using box grater use juice as well
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (sub ordinary)
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves , finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp EACH cumin, coriander, paprika (any, but I like smoked paprika)
- 1/2 tsp EACH cinnamon, cayenne pepper (add more for spicy)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
MINTED YOGHURT SAUCE (NOTE 3):
- 3/4 cup plain yoghurt (I use Greek)
- 1/2 cup (tightly packed) mint leaves
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt
TO SERVE AS POCKETS:
- 4 pita pockets , Lebanese or pita bread
- 5 cups shredded lettuce (iceberg, cost/romaine)
- 2 tomatoes , halved, thinly sliced
- 1 red onion , halved, finely sliced
Instructions
- 1. Mint yogurt sauce – Set aside 1/2 cup yogurt. Place all other ingredients in a jug that fits the head of a stick blender. Blitz until it turns green – it will be runny. Stir in reserved yogurt (this thickens it again). Refrigerate until required.
- 2. Meatballs – Place all Meatball ingredients in a bowl. Mix well with your hands. Measure out 1 heaped tablespoon, then roll into balls. Repeat with remaining mixture – should have 20 – 24 meatballs.
- 3. Cook – Heat oil in a large non stick pan over medium heat. Add half the meatballs and cook, turning to brown all over, for 8 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer to plate. (Oven option – Note 4)
- 4. Serving – Cut pita pockets in half, warm for 10 seconds in the microwave, then pry it open. Stuff with lettuce, tomato, onion, then meatballs (I do 2 per half pocket). Drizzle with Mint Yogurt Sauce and fresh coriander.
Recipe Notes:
1. Meat –This recipe is also terrific with beef, and very good with chicken and turkey. No recipe adjustments. If baking the chicken or turkey meatballs, spray VERY well with oil!
2. Grating onion– Tried and proven, much loved technique for adding extra flavour into meatballs, keeping them soft, and avoiding the need to pre-cook diced onion. It works!
3. Minted yogurt– Blitzing / blending yogurt “breaks” it and makes it runny and very thin. Sometimes that’s what I want. But usually I want a bit of thickness. So to achieve that, blitz the mint with just some of the yogurt then stir the rest in later.
Alternatives – Stir very finely chopped mint into plain yogurt. Or just use plain yogurt mixed with a bit of garlic, lemon juice and salt.
4. Oven option– avoid stove splatter and meatballs will stay more round but you won’t get as good browning on them without overcooking them.
Preheat oven to Spray meatballs generously with oil then bake for 20 minutes at 220°C/450°F (200°C fan) until you get some light browning. Sometimes I put them on a rack to keep them round (spray rack with oil then put on a tray).
5. Suggested sides if you opt out of the pita pockets: Any kind of salad of choice . Plus a side of basmati rice
Nutrition assuming this serves 5 people, including 1 pita pocket per person and 1 1/2 tablespoons of lamb fat is discarded after cooking.
NUTRITION INFORMATION:
Serving:241gCalories:518cal (26%)Carbohydrates:43g (14%)Protein:26g (52%)Fat:27g (42%)Saturated Fat:12g (75%)Polyunsaturated Fat:3gMonounsaturated Fat:10gTrans Fat:0.004gCholesterol:111mg (37%)Sodium:973mg (42%)Potassium:782mg (22%)Fiber:5g (21%)Sugar:7g (8%)Vitamin A:1916IU (38%)Vitamin C:21mg (25%)Calcium:202mg (20%)Iron:4mg (22
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