Lamb And Feta Meatballs With Tomato Sauce Food

LAMB MEATBALLS WITH SPICED TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• 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.

LAMB AND FETA MEATBALLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the garlic. When the garlic sizzles, quickly add the tomatoes and a generous grinding of pepper. Cook over a high heat for about 4 minutes, until the tomatoes collapse.
• In a bowl, mix the lamb and herbs together. Add the egg, season, and use your hands to mix together until it forms a paste. Crumble the feta into medium-sized pieces and add half to the mixture. Form into 20 even-sized balls.
• Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan - large enough to take the meatballs in one layer - until very hot. Add all the balls at once (or cook in 2 batches) and sear on 1 side; shake the pan to turn them all at once. Fry for a total of 6 minutes on high to brown on all sides. Don't worry if some fall apart. Lower the heat to medium, add the tomato and garlic sauce and stir.
• To serve, scatter the remaining feta over the meatballs and garnish with the lightly toasted pine nuts and extra mint leaves.

GRILLED LAMB MEATBALL FLATBREAD WITH GRILLED TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• For the meatballs: Preheat a grill to medium.
• Combine the breadcrumbs and onions in a large mixing bowl and drizzle the milk on top; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt; mix until combined. Add the lamb and egg; mix until very well blended. Mix in the cilantro and parsley. Form into 20 balls, a little larger than 1 inch.
• Add the meatballs to the grill basket; grill, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.
• For the tomato sauce: Add the tomatoes to the grill basket; grill, turning occasionally, until charred all over in spots, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; remove the peels when cool enough to handle. Crush the tomatoes with your hands, then stir in the olive oil, cinnamon and a large pinch of salt.
• For the flatbreads: Reduce the grill to medium low. Grill the naan, top-side down, until grill marks appear, about 4 minutes. Flip and top with the tomato sauce, meatballs and feta; drizzle generously with olive oil. Cover and grill until the naan are slightly crisped and the feta has warmed through, rotating the naan 45 degrees halfway through, about 6 minutes.
• Transfer to plates, top with the cilantro and parsley, and sprinkle with red pepper flakes if using.

PRESSURE COOKER LAMB MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, blend the first 9 ingredients for the meatballs. Moisten your palms with water, and shape the mixture into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter.
• In a 4-quart or larger pressure cooker, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onions and green pepper, and cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the cooker. Boil until the wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Stir in the water, and add the meatballs in one or two layers. Pour the tomatoes over the meatballs. (Do not stir.) Sprinkle on the garlic powder.
• Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat. Quick-release the pressure by setting the cooker under cold running water. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow the steam to escape.
• Split a meatball in half to check for doneness. If necessary, cover the cooker, and simmer until done.
• Gently stir in the olives, feta, parsley, crushed red pepper, oregano, cinnamon and a tablespoon of olive oil, if needed, to give the sauce a rich finish. Simmer a few minutes. Season to taste with sugar, salt and pepper (go easy on the salt, as the olives and feta have plenty). Serve in shallow bowls, garnished with feta.

LAMB MEATBALLS WITH ROSEMARY TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tsp oil in a large frying pan. Add the meatballs and cook, turning often, until browned. Remove from the pan.
• Tip the onions into the pan with the remaining oil and a pinch of salt and cook until very soft, 10-15 mins. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for 2 mins more.
• Add the tomatoes and return meatballs to the pan. Simmer for 10 mins until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are cooked through. Season and serve with the pasta, sprinkle with rosemary.

FETA-CRUSTED LAMB WITH RICH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Marinate the lamb first. Put the racks into a non-metallic dish and mix the thyme, oil, lemon zest, garlic and half the oregano in a bowl. Rub this all over the lamb, then leave to marinate for at least 30 mins or up to 24 hrs. It's important that you cook the lamb from room temperature rather than fridge cold, so if you're cooking within 1 hr or so, leave it out of the fridge.
• For the sauce, finely chop the parsley stalks. Heat a large ovenproof frying pan or wide casserole, then add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the garlic and the stalks, then soften for 1 min. Add the tomatoes and remaining oregano, then simmer for 5 mins until saucy, popping the cherry tomatoes with your wooden spoon to release all the juices and seeds. Chop the parsley leaves roughly and add half to the pan. Heat oven to 230C/fan 210C/ gas 8. Make the crust by mixing the remaining parsley leaves, feta, zest, oregano and breadcrumbs in a bowl.
• When you're ready to cook the lamb, leave most of the tasty marinade on the meat, season it well with salt and freshly ground pepper, then press the crust onto one side of each piece. Sit the racks in the sauce, with the crust-side facing upwards. Strew the thyme sprigs from the marinade over the lamb and into the sauce, then drizzle everything with a little extra virgin olive oil. Roast the lamb in the sauce, uncovered, for 20 mins (for pink and juicy meat) until the crust is golden and the sauce thickened. Leave to rest for 10 mins, loosely covered, so that the crust doesn't go soggy, then carve the lamb between each bone to make cutlets. Serve the crusted cutlets with spoonfuls of the intense, roasted-down tomato sauce, and the Easy buttered onion pilaf and Lemony greens (recipes below). Garnish with thyme.