Moroccan meatballs
I am very lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. For my bridal shower I got so many delicious gifts and recipes I haven’t even made a dint in my collection.
One recipe I’ve been meaning to try for a while is Kristin’s meatballs. I’ve heard her rave about how delicious they are but I’ve never made them myself until now. It won’t be the last time.
To get a photo that shows they’re tastiness was a bit tricky so you’ll just have to take my word for it.
Moroccan meatballs
They’re very versatile too. I made mine quite large and served them for dinner but they’d also be great as finger food on little toothpicks with the yoghurt dressing as dipping sauce.
It takes no time at all to throw them together and they freeze well too so you can cook half and save some for dinner in a hurry.
The ingredients
Baharat spice blend
This spice mix was a bridal shower present so I thought I’d give it a whirl with my bridal shower recipe. It says Turkish but I think it’s pretty close to Moroccan.
Mix them up
To make the meatballs, put the lamb, onion, eggs, bread crumbs, herbs and spices in a large bowl and mix it all together. I put on a pair of gloves and squelched it all with my hands. It’s much easier this way.
Kristin said it’s best to use fresh sourdough breadcrumbs but I just used regular store-bought crumbs.
Rolled up
The size of the meatballs will depend on what you want to make them for. Mine were for dinner so I made them golf ball size. Three was a good serve for me and four or five for big serving would be plenty. Using this size ball I made 18.
Stuffing
I’m sure there’s a better way to do this but I just stuck a little cube of feta on top of each ball.
Stuffed
Then I gently smooshed (yes that’s the technical term) the mince around to enclose the feta.
I prepared mine in the morning and then popped them in the fridge until dinner time.
Ready for baking
Kristin’s tip was to cook them on a rack on top of the baking tray rather than directly on the tray. This way any fat can drip away making them nice and lean.
Bake the meatballs at 180C fan-forced for 20-25 minutes.
Baked
I don’t think that my smooshing worked quite like it should because the feta oozed out the top. I quite liked the effect but it was as that moment that I remembered Kristin suggesting I use low-fat feta if I didn’t want oozing.
Moroccan meatballs with yoghurt sauce
I made up a little yoghurt dressing to go with the meatballs and it was perfect (even if I do say so myself). All you have to do is stir the crushed garlic, lemon juice and dill through some yoghurt.
Moroccan meatballs with yoghurt sauce
Serve them piping hot on a bed of couscous. Another idea is to thread them onto skewers for something a little bit fun. Enjoy!
What about you? Do you like sharing recipes or do you like to keep your best recipes a secret? Clearly I’m terrible at keeping recipe secrets!
Moroccan meatballs with yoghurt sauce
- 500g (1.1 lbs) lamb mince
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup breadcrumbs (homemade sourdough are the best)
- 1 onion chopped finely
- ½ tsp of any or all of the following dried herbs - Moroccan spice, paprika, coriander, parsley, nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon of fresh coriander or parsley, chopped
- 50g (2oz) Greek feta, cut into 1cm cubes.
- 200g (7oz) tub plain yoghurt
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp dried dill
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C(356F) fan-forced.
- Line a tray with aluminum foil and place a rack on top of it.
- Combine the lamb, eggs, breadcrumbs, onion and herbs and squelch together until well mixed.
- Roll mince mixture into golf ball sized balls.
- Place a square of feta on top of each ball and enclose it in mince mixture.
- Put the meatballs on the rack and cook for 20-25 minutes or until they are cooked through.
- Make the yoghurt dressing by combining the yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and dill.
- Serve the meatballs over couscous with a drizzle of yoghurt dressing.
