As a sequel to the previous recipe for reasons you can check down below, here comes the lamb!
Whilst parallel(y) working on the previous recipe, I managed to mix the mince in the bowl with the spices - garam masala, pepper and salt. Now, I love garam masala so instead of 1 tsp I put 2 and a half. This gave such a wonderful sweet taste to the salty meat, but to each their own. You can by all means try the raw meat for its taste and then spit it out, you don't have to swallow it.
I set that aside while I chopped all the salad ingredients, aka the cucumber, lettuces, radishes and tomatoes, leaving it undressed for now.
I then took to the sauce, slicing the chili, spring onions and coriander (where coriander stalks were supposed to be used, but I had it in a powder form, so I used that because I can't always find fresh plants). I put that in a pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil and squashed garlic. I let that fry for a bit, and then added the drained chickpeas and passata.
You are also supposed to add saffron and the water it soaked in at this point, but I discovered my saffron from my 2011 trip to Tunis had gone bad, so I had to do without it.
I left that to boil.
This is when I attended to the meatballs, using a teaspoon to determine the size of each, since I prefer many smaller ones to a couple of big meatballs.
I put that in a pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil, in two batches. I waited until they started turning brown because I like my meat well done.
While one batch or the other was frying, I dressed my salad in olive oil and lemon juice, and seasoned to taste.
My sauce was done, so I took it off the heat, added in the meatballs to keep warm, and simply swirled a tsp of dried harissa into the yoghurt (as the paste form doesn't exist in Croatia).
After I took this picture, I heated my tortillas a bit, and served just as Jamie recommends!
I have discovered meatballs are something like my specialty, because they are the first things people praise, and admire while I make them. It's just that, meat is never made how I like it, (if I like it that day), and so when these opportunities arrise, I want to make the best of it. So I definitely hope to make more meatball recipes in the future!
If you have the 15 Minute cookbook, you can look up the recipe on page 104, if not, you will need:
Ingredients out * Kettle boiled * Large frying pan, medium heat* Large lidded pan, medium-high heat
Serves 4, 687 calories
Ingredients
Meatballs
400g lean lamb mince
1 heaped tsp garam masala
olive oil
1 pinch of saffron
1/2-1 fresh red chili
2 spring onions
1/2 bunch of fresh coriander
2 cloves of garlic
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
350g passata
Salad
1/2 a cucumber
2 little gem lettuces
1 bunch of radishes
2 ripe tomatoes
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
To serve
1 heaped tsp harissa
4 heaped tbsp fat-free natural yoghurt
8 small wholewheat tortillas
1 orange
Start cooking
Mix the mince in a bowl with salt, pepper and the garam masala. Divide into 4, then roll each piece into 4 balls with wet hands, placing them in the frying pan as you roll them and adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss regularly until dark golden all over. Put the saffron into a cup, just cover with boiling water and leave to soak.
Finely slice the chili, trimmed spring onions and coriander stalks (reserving the leaves), put them into the large pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then squash in the unpeeled garlic through a garlic crusher. Fry for 40 seconds, then add the saffron and its soaking water, the drained chickpeas and the passata, cover and bring to the boil. In a small dish, swirl the harissa through the yoghurt.
Roughly chop and mix all the salad veg for the salad on a board. Add the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, then season to taste. Loosen the sauce with a splash of water if needed, then pour into the meatball pan and season to taste. Microwave (800W) the tortillas for 45 seconds. Serve it all with orange wedges and a scattering of coriander leaves.
Note: This recipe was taken straight out of the cookbook, my version is written above.
Bon Appétit!
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