Makes 18 to 20 meatballs; serves 6
I think I could convert any lamb hater with these meatballs. You have Emily Corliss to thank for them. Emily is a chef alum from Pizzeria Mozza who conspired with me on these recipes and she alone is responsible for the fact that these may be the most delicious lamb meatballs the world has ever known. We use cooked rice as a binder, which makes for extra-light, tender, and gluten-free meatballs. This recipe makes a lot of meatballs but they keep in the fridge for several days. You can even freeze the cooked meatballs—and who wouldn’t want to come home hungry and find a lamb meatball waiting for them? The cooked meatballs are rolled in pomegranate molasses, which gives them a sweet-and-sour tang and takes them to the next level. You can find pomegranate molasses at Middle Eastern stores and specialty grocery stores. If you don’t track it down, don’t worry: the meatballs are so good without it, you’ll wonder how there could even be a next level.
2 pounds ground lamb (preferably American lamb)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¾ cup finely chopped Spanish yellow onion (about ½ small onion)
¾ cup finely chopped fresh parsley (about 1 bunch)
½ cup brown rice, cooked
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced
Olive oil
2 cups chicken stock, homemade (here) or sodium-free or low-sodium store-bought, or as needed
½ cup pomegranate molasses, plus more as needed
Hummus (recipe follows)
3 cups Spiced Rice and Lentils, Pomegranate Tabbouleh, or steamed brown rice (see here, here, or here)
Tzatziki (recipe follows)
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley and mint
To prepare the meatballs, put the lamb in a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients except the oil, stock, and molasses. Gently knead the meat to distribute the ingredients throughout.
Scoop ¼ cup of the meat mixture and gently form the meat into an oblong. Put the balls on a plate or baking sheet and form the rest of the meatballs. Cover the meatballs and put them in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. (Chilling the meatballs isn’t crucial, but it does help prevent the balls from falling apart when they’re cooked. It’s also a handy make-ahead trick.)
Adjust the oven racks so one is in the middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F.
Coat a large straight-sided skillet with olive oil and heat the oil over high heat until it slides like water in the pan and is sizzling hot but not smoking. Add half the meatballs to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to sear all over, rolling them around so they cook evenly. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and cook the second batch. Transfer the second batch to the plate.
Carefully, without burning yourself, use a bunched-up paper towel to wipe the fat and browned bits from the pan. Return the meatballs to the pan. Add enough stock to reach halfway up the side of the meatballs and put them in the oven to cook for 20 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the oven and let them rest in the cooking liquid for 10 minutes, or until you’re ready to serve them.
To prepare the bowls, use the back of a spoon to smear a big swish of hummus on the bottom of four bowls. Pile a scoop of rice or tabbouleh on top.
Pour the pomegranate molasses into a medium bowl. Put a few meatballs in the molasses and roll them around to coat them. Take them out, put them on one of the waiting bowls, and roll the rest of the meatballs around in the molasses. Spoon the tzatziki next to the meatballs and use scissors to snip the parsley and mint so they fall directly onto the bowls.
Makes about 2 cups
There are so many great packaged hummus brands available these days that you think it’s not worth the time to make your own, until you do. First, it takes almost no time, so it doesn’t have to be worth much. Second, to tell you how great homemade hummus is especially that made from homemade chickpeas, I’ll quote my friend Dave Hermsen, who took one bite and said, “Hey, yo. This isn’t regular ol’ hummus. This shit is the bomb!” To make beet hummus, which admittedly is mostly for looks (the beet doesn’t add a lot of flavor), add half a small roasted beet when you puree the hummus.
1½ cups cooked chickpeas (here) or 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine all the ingredients with 3 tablespoons water in a blender or food processor. Puree until the hummus is smooth; add more water if necessary to achieve a smooth consistency.
Makes about 1½ cups
Tzatziki is a Greek condiment of yogurt and cucumbers. The way I make it, with the cucumbers sliced instead of grated or minced, it’s like a salad and condiment in one. Persian cucumbers are everything you want in a cucumber; they’re sweet, crispy, seedless, and have thin skins, so you don’t have to peel them. Japanese cukes are equally good, but not as easy to find.
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 Persian or Japanese cucumbers (or ½ peeled English cucumber), sliced ¼ inch thick
Stir the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and salt together in a medium bowl. Fold in the cucumbers just before serving, to keep them nice and crunchy.
The less you work the meat, the lighter and more tender your meatballs will be.