Gingery Lamb Meatballs with Tomato Confit Broth and Seeded Yogurt
This recipe came about after a tomato confit–making craze one August. Coincidentally, Applestone Meat Co., an amazing butcher automat (yes, you read that right) opened down the street from our house right around that time, giving me easy access to local meat. I have always loved ground lamb. I like mixing it with spices, putting it on top of flatbread, and giving it a quick broil before topping it with herbs. I also love making a meat sauce out of it, but mostly I love it for making meatballs. And yes, while you could fry them in oil, I generally don’t love the cleanup part of that process, so I opt for the oven instead. You can flip the meatballs halfway through the cooking time to give them some equal-sided crispiness, but I’m lazy, so I just serve them on the one side that has crisped up all goldeny for presentation’s sake. I loosen up some tomato confit with broth to serve them in and I like serving the seeded yogurt alongside.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE MEATBALLS
1 pound (455 g) ground lamb
1 clove garlic, grated
1½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
¼ cup (13 g) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the seasoning
½ cup (50 g) panko
1 large egg
½ cup (120 ml) full-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
FOR THE TOMATO CONFIT
2 cups (300 g) confit-like cherry tomatoes (recipe on page 55)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock, plus ½ to ¾ cup (115 to 175 ml) more if needed
Cooked orzo or pearled couscous, for serving
¼ cup (13 g) roughly chopped fresh dill, mint, or parsley or a combination of all three, for garnish
METHOD
Make the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). In a large bowl, combine the lamb, garlic, ginger, cumin, Aleppo pepper, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, panko, and egg and mix together well with your hands.
With damp hands, roll the lamb mixture into small balls, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter; it should yield about 25 meatballs. Place the meatballs on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until they are cooked through and golden brown on the bottom, 9 to 11 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together the yogurt with the lemon juice and season with salt. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and toast the cumin seeds, stirring often, until they are fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the cumin seeds into the yogurt and set aside.
Wipe out the skillet, add the tomato confit and cinnamon to the pan, and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Pour in the chicken stock and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes more. When the meatballs are finished cooking, add them to the tomato confit broth, stir to coat them with the sauce, and heat until warmed through, adding ½ to ¾ cup (115 ml to 175 ml) more stock, if needed, to get the brothy consistency of your preference.
Serve the meatballs over orzo or pearled couscous in bowls and spoon the tomato confit broth over the top. Scatter with herbs and pass the yogurt at the table to spoon on top.
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