Lamb and Apricot Meatballs

From the kitchen of Carly

Turkish-leaning meatballs with dried apricots tucked into ground lamb, simmered in a cumin-and-coriander tomato sauce. Sweet, savory, faintly Middle Eastern. Serve with warm pita and a tangle of mint. Don't overmix the meatballs. A light hand keeps them tender; aggressive mixing makes them tough.

Lamb and Apricot Meatballs
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Total
50 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
easy

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 2 tbspolive oil (divided)
  • 2red onions, finely chopped
  • 4garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tspground cumin
  • 2 tspground coriander
  • 400 g (1 can)canned crushed tomatoes
  • 0.5 tspgranulated sugar
  • 10 gfresh mint, chopped (plus more for serving)
  • 500 gground lamb
  • 8dried apricots, finely chopped
  • 50 gpanko or fresh breadcrumbs
  • 4warm pita bread, to serve

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tsp of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

  2. Add the chopped red onions and a pinch of salt. Cook 5 minutes, stirring, until softened.

  3. Add the crushed garlic, ground cumin, and ground coriander. Cook 2 minutes more until fragrant.

  4. Spoon HALF of the onion mixture into a wide bowl. Set aside to cool.

  5. To the onion mixture remaining in the pan, add the canned tomatoes, sugar, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

  6. Meanwhile, mix the meatballs. Add the chopped mint, ground lamb, finely chopped apricots, and breadcrumbs to the cooled onions in the bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

  7. Mix gently with your hands just until combined. Don't overwork or the meatballs get dense.

  8. Shape into 16 small meatballs, about 1.5 inches across.

  9. Heat the remaining olive oil in a separate nonstick pan over medium-high.

  10. Fry the meatballs in batches (don't crowd) for 6 to 8 minutes total, turning regularly, until deeply golden on all sides. They don't need to be cooked through yet.

  11. Transfer the browned meatballs to the simmering tomato sauce. Add a splash of water (about 2 tbsp) to keep things saucy.

  12. Cover and gently simmer 8 to 10 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through (165°F internal).

  13. Scatter extra fresh mint over the top.

  14. Serve with warm pita and a simple yogurt-and-cucumber salad alongside.

Substitutions
  • ground lamb to ground beef or 50/50 lamb-and-beef. Beef alone works but loses some of the lamb's gaminess. The mix is the budget-friendly compromise.
  • dried apricots to dried golden raisins or chopped dates. Dates are sweeter; raisins are milder. Both add the same chewy-sweet pop in the meatball.
  • fresh mint to fresh parsley + a pinch of dried mint. Parsley is less aromatic but more durable. Pair with dried mint to recover some of the lift.

Pairs well with: Warm pita or flatbread, plus tzatziki or labneh, A glass of dry rose, Pinot Noir, or syrah, Cucumber-and-tomato salad with red wine vinegar

Adapted from TheMealDB.