by thirschfeld
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thirschfeld's Notes:
Expand1/3 cup bread crumbs Ask a question about this ingredient
3 tablespoons whole milk Ask a question about this ingredient
2 teaspoons orange zest or blood orange when in season,, finely grated, about 1 orange Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon whole cumin, crushed in a mortar and pestal Ask a question about this ingredient
2 teaspoons olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon minced shallot Ask a question about this ingredient
2 teaspoons minced garlic Ask a question about this ingredient
1 pound ground lamb Ask a question about this ingredient
1 egg Ask a question about this ingredient
1/3 cup Manchego cheese, grated Ask a question about this ingredient
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper Ask a question about this ingredient
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To make the panada, in a large mixing bowl combine the milk, bread crumbs, zest and cumin and set aside. In a small saute pan, set over medium heat, add the olive oil and sweat the shallot and garlic until translucent. Season with salt and pepper remove it from the heat and let it cool a little and then add it to the bread mixture. Add salt and pepper, about a 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt and then combine the panada with the lamb, egg and Manchego. Using your hands mix it until the mixture becomes sticky and has absorbed all the egg.
Ask a question about this stepPlace parchment paper onto, or lightly oil, a sheet tray. I used a number 40 scoop to make the meatballs but a walnut sized piece would be about the same size. Roll the meatballs in your hands until they are smooth and round. Place all the meatballs onto the sheet tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. This can be done in advance and the meatballs can be stored, covered, in the fridge.
Ask a question about this step1 1/2 teaspoon each of ground cardamom, coriander, fenugreek, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, cayanne, black pepper and seasalt Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon paprika Ask a question about this ingredient
3/4 teaspoons tumeric Ask a question about this ingredient
. Ask a question about this ingredient
1 onion, sliced thin, approx 1 cup Ask a question about this ingredient
2 teaspoons garlic, minced Ask a question about this ingredient
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
1 pinch saffron, a healthy pinch, crumbled Ask a question about this ingredient
2 teaspoons Double concentrated tomato paste, the stuff in the tube Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup whole milk yogurt Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup heavy cream Ask a question about this ingredient
Kosher salt and white pepper Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup sheeps milk feta, crumbled finely Ask a question about this ingredient
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh mint, minced Ask a question about this ingredient
To make the Ethiopian spice mix combine all the spices, paprika and turmeric in a mixing bowl and mix to combine. This makes more than enough spice and it is a great addition to lentils and many other dishes. Remove 1 tablespoon of the mix and place the remainder in a jar with a lid and store.
Ask a question about this stepPlace a 10 inch saute pan over medium high heat. Add add the olive oil and onions and saute until the onions just start to brown. Add the garlic and once you start to smell the aroma of the garlic add 1 tablespoon of the Ethiopian spice mix then the saffron and tomato paste. Stir to combine the ingredients and then add the yogurt and cream. Let itcome to a boil, this should break the yogurt into tiny globules, and then add the meatballs. Stir to coat the meatballs and reduce the heat to a simmer stirring occasionally to keep the sauce from scorching on the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the meatballs are warmed all the way through. Place the meatballs onto a warmed platter and top them with the sauce and then sprinkle with crumbled feta and mint. Serve.
Ask a question about this stepSimply perfection. Rich and complex flavors. The meatballs were moist and flavorful and the sauce was to die for!
This sounds (and looks) really really good. I look forward to trying this soon!
I must have missed this when you first posted it, so I'm glad we're doing meatballs this week and I have another shot at seeing it! It looks just amazing with such a wonderful combination of ingredients. Great job, Chef Tom!
Just made this last night---it was awesome! The orange and cumin in the meatballs was a lovely touch, as was the Ethiopian spice in the sauce, with the mint and the creamy half-melted feta---mmmm. I doubled the recipe and used equal parts beef and lamb (b/c that's what I had on hand), which worked great. Also omitted the fenugreek because I don't like it. I overmixed the meatballs and lost out on texture there, but that's easy to fix in the future. I served with whole wheat cous cous and sauteed spinach---we all ended up mixing the spinach right into the meatballs on our plates; the combination worked really well.
Things I would do next time I made it: add more salt throughout; infuse the saffron in a little water; cut the cream in the sauce with whole milk or half-and-half (though I agree about the whole milk yogurt); add a little feta to the meatball mix.
I'm still reeling over your meatloaf, but, OK, I'll try this too! Thumbs up for sure.
My husband and I just finished this recipe and it was so tasty. I had to make some substitutions because my local grocery didn't have fenugreek or ground lamb at the moment. Standing in for the lamb was organic ground turkey and no fenugreek. What great layers of flavors.
Some of the components of the sauce reminded me of one of my favorite (so hard to choose) of Amanda's recipes in CfML...the caramelized onion and sheep's milk cheese and I believe yogurt as well. I will bake this over whole wheat penne tomorrow with feta sprinkled on top. Thank you for such a creative recipe and I unique way of presenting meatballs (Did you hear of the new restaurant in NYC that only cooks meatballs from around the world?) They have nothing on you!
Thank you so much for making this and I am so glad you liked it. It is funny as a chef, cook, and lover of food you live for a moments of spontianity and things just come together. It is one of the many reasons all of us foodies stand in front of the stove.
I am making this tomorrow and am so excited!
What an amazing way of bringing all the ingredients together! Ground lamb is on my next grocery list!
Stunning dish - I am going to make it as a starter for friends on saturday night. The sauce looks so beautiful.
This looks beautiful, I love all the flavors!! I consider meatballs a food group and will definitely be trying this out with the left over ground lamb from my recipe.
Wow. I'm glad you got out of bed for this at 2am because it looks incredible.
I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who loses sleep thinking about food and recipes!
I don't look at it as losing sleep as much as gaining a recipe. LOL
btw it would be lovely to be able to comment on your blog- or is the lack of a comments section deliberate?
I'm not a huge meatball fan. In fact I never eat them. But this looks incredibly appealing to me. You might have converted me. I thing it's time you started your own blog.
This looks so delicious!
OH. MY. GOSH. I ADORE this dish- all the most wonderful flavours in the world. lamb, feta, yoghurt, orange zest, zafferano, what can be a better combo?
This looks just wonderful! But, wait, there's a tapas recipe you created and photographed too?
So creative -- wow!
This sounds amazing.
Francesca is the former Assistant Editor of food52 and believes you can make anything out of farro.
A party hit!! I made this for mother's birthday -- for25 guests. It was remarkably easily to quadruple the recipe. Made the balls the night before. To save money, I used veal instead of lamb. I also feel veal makes for a lighter meatball. I also made the sauce the night before, up to the tomato paste part, then refridgerated until just before the party when i added the dairy. I cut the heavy cream in the sauce with milk. Turned out just fine! Guests couldn't get enough of it -- and it's very easy to eat standing up -- no knife required! I paired it with a fennel, blood orange, mint and hazelnut salad. I recommend it for a party entree.