Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 2 1/2 pounds ground lamb
- Spice Mix, recipe follows
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup ketchup
Meatball Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin, toasted*
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander, toasted
- 4 cups tomato puree
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley leaves
- Slivered almonds, toasted, for garnish
- Chopped fresh mint leaves, for garnish
- Warmed pita wedges, for serving
Directions
*Cook's Note: To toast spices, heat in a small, dry skillet over low heat until fragrant.
Meatballs:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix lamb, Spice Mix, egg, and ketchup, being careful not to overwork the meat. Form into 1 1/4-ounce balls, about the size of a ping-pong ball. Place meatballs on a large baking sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
Sauce:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and heat, then add the onions and lightly saute until soft. Add garlic, shallots, cinnamon sticks, cumin, and coriander and saute over low heat, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato puree and bring to a boil. Add stock and season sauce with salt, ground black pepper, mint, and parsley. Simmer for about 10 minutes and remove the cinnamon sticks.
To serve: Add the meatballs to the sauce and heat until warmed through. Pour a small amount of sauce on the plate and add 5 meatballs per serving. Garnish with toasted slivered almonds, mint, and warm pita wedges.
Spice Mix:
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander, toasted
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin, toasted
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon ground mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a medium bowl, mix all the spices together. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
* Professional Recipe
This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional and makes a large quantity. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe in the proportions indicated and therefore cannot make any representation as to the results.
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Read all 17 reviews
By dfwelf
on April 08, 2013
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My husband eats anything I put in front of him. He never complains but he never praises either. I have to always ask. "Is this a do-over?" when I cook something new. The response I got with this was (quote "That was awesome!" .This is also the type of dish that is even better as left overs.
I never measure anything and really just used this recipe as a guide. I was surprised that I had everything except shallots and mint. HINT: If you are not used to working with ground lamb, it is a very sticky meat. I coat the palms of my hands in a little olive oil and the meat doesn't stick to my fingers.
By AlisonR12
Redmond, WA
on February 19, 2013
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Fantastic recipe! It took me some time to get all the ingredients ready, but it was definitely worth it! I didn't have ground lamb, so I used ground beef instead, and I added a bit of dried mint because I didn't have fresh mint. I also made fresh tomato puree with deseeded tomatoes. I'll definitely make this one again. Yummy!
By heatherbelleday
Berkeley, CA
on November 17, 2012
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These are super-delicious and absolutely wowed our guests. I served them with saffron rice. I loved that the meatballs were baked in the oven so much easier. Also, the whole dish I made in advance and reheated at dinner and that was great. I did have to leave a couple of the spices out but it didn't make the dish any less fabulous. I didn't have fresh mint either - I used a mix of parsley and cilantro.
Read all 17 reviews