Feta & Lamb Meatballs

Lamb is a polarizing protein. Quite a few people find the taste a little too strong and they shy away from it. I on the other hand just love it. If you're a fan of lamb flavour you'll enjoy this dish because the lamb is the main taste that comes through once it's all done. I've added in cannellini beans to make it a true one pot meal. Even with the beans, it's great spread out on a slice of crusty toasted bread.

Gather the Good Stuff

500g minced lamb
1 package of feta cheese
1 large eggplant
1 large onion
2-4 cloves of garlic , diced
1 400g can of canellini beans
1 400g can of diced tomatoes
1 egg
75-100g panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp oregano
1/2 cup wine or other deglazing liquid - I use red wine or chicken broth
1/2 cup chicken broth

Putting it Together

Pre-heat oven to 180C
Heat 2 - 3 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil in a heavy pan over medium heat in an oven proof skillet
Slice the onion and cube the eggplant
When the oil is hot, add both to the pan and saute for 15-20 minutes until very soft (dont skimp on the time here, undercooked onions will ruin this)
meanwhile add lamb, egg, panko, cumin, coriander to a mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper as desired
Using a fork, mix together the meat. Do not over mix too much
Using your hands, make approx 12 meatballs of uniform size
2 minutes before the onions and eggplant are done, add the garlic to the hot pan
Add the cannellini beans to the pan and turn the heat up to medium high
After 1 minute or so, add the deglazing liquid and allow it turn boil the alcohol off, stirring through
Add your can of tomatoes and the extra broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low
Gently nestle your meatballs on top / into the mixture and sprinkle any remaining breadcrumbs over the top
Transfer the pan to the preheat oven and allow to cook for 25-30 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the beans and the meatballs are cooked through.
When finished, remove from the oven and crumble 1/2 - 3/4 of the feta over the dish. Reserve the rest to be added with on second helpings

Comments

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