Photo: Lamb Meatballs in Almond Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 slices fresh white bread, torn into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons Spanish red wine
- 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Spanish olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups diced Spanish onions
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 6 tablespoons slivered, blanched almonds
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
Directions
Place bread pieces in a small bowl and drizzle with the red wine. Allow bread mixture to stand for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the lamb, egg, chopped garlic, parsley, and moistened bread. Season with salt, pepper, and Essence. Roll meat into small bite size balls, about 1 tablespoon each. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
Place the flour in a small bowl; working in batches, dredge the meatballs in the flour. Shake off any excess flour.
Pour 1/4 cup olive oil into a large saute pan with straight sides and heat the oil until almost smoking over high heat. Add the meatballs, in batches, and fry until well browned, gently rolling to brown all sides, about 4 minutes per batch. Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining batches.
Wipe the pan clean and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place over medium-high heat and, when hot, add the onions. Cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the white wine and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the reserved meatballs and cover. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
While the meatballs are cooking, combine the almonds, garlic clove, and mint in a food processor and pulse until a finely ground paste is formed. Set aside.
When the meatballs are tender, uncover and add the almond paste to the broth. Stir to combine and remove from the heat.
To serve, place several meatballs in a small dish and spoon some of the sauce over the tops. Serve with toothpicks or small forks.
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By micheleriz
on January 15, 2012
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Wonderful flavor, great dish served as appetizers with Mediterranean themed meal. Ground lamb can be expensive. I bought a boneless leg of lamb and ground it in my food processor. Worked great. I refrigerated the meatballs over night. Then, rolled them in flour and browned. I minced the mint and almonds with shallots in the food processor and used them together to deglaze the pan with the white wine & chicken broth. I appreciated the previous review and baked the components in the oven, covered, for a little over an hour. They were the hit of the appetizer table! By sauteing the almonds with the mint and wine & broth, it all incorporated into a smooth, delicious dish.
By weesarahb_12708723
Holly Springs, 73
on March 05, 2010
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I loved the meatball mix in this recipe. They turned out very moist and the lamb flavor came through really well. I loved the fresh mint and garlic added at the last moment but wasn"t the biggest fan of the texture of the almonds. My family however loved them, so obviously with me its a personal preference. The only downside was how the finished dish looked. It was very brown on brown, I did however use the red wine that I put in the meatballs in the sauce because it was already open so that could have been the culprit. All in all the flavors were great and the meat turned out perfectly cooked and so moist.
By Chef #221624
tallahassee, FL
on September 03, 2009
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These were amazing. I actually served them as a main dish with potatoes and broccoli on the side. I made a few without the almond sauce so that I could give them to my baby and they were also delicious that way as well.
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