LAMB MEATBALLS WITH SHIRAZI SALAD
Grilled Persian style lamb meatballs paired with a stunning Shirazi salad that can be served with flatbread or rice makes the perfect summer’s eve dinner.
Equipment
- Chef’s knife + pairing / tomato knife + chopping board
- Teaspoon
- Food chopper / food processor / grater
- Large metal spoon or salad servers
- Tongs or forks
- Mezzaluna for the herbs, optional
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
- 1 cucumber
- 150 g cherry tomatoes
- ½ red onion finely diced
- ½ tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
- ½ tablespoon fresh coriander (cilantro) or mint finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice approx 1 lime
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
FOR THE MEATBALLS
- 500 g lamb mince 20% fat
- 2 onions
- Salt & pepper
TO SERVE
- Flatbread or white basmati rice
- A sprinkle of sumac optional
For Baby, Toddler & Fussy Eater tweaks see Notes
Instructions
FOR THE SALAD
- Top and tail the cucumber. Slice it in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds by running a teaspoon down the centre of each half and discard. Then slice each half lengthways into roughly 1cm strips. Then dice these slices small. Quarter your cherry tomatoes and then halve the quarters horizontally.
- Add the cucumber, tomatoes, onion, lime juice, herbs, salt & pepper (NOT the olive oil) to a medium-large bowl and toss well. Leave to marinade for at least 15 minutes. If you do it earlier on in the day, cover and refrigerate, then bring out around 1 hour before serving to bring up to room temperature. When ready to serve add the olive oil and toss again.
FOR THE MEATBALLS
- Preheat your oven grill/broiler to high (or get the barbecue on). Add a wire rack onto a large baking tray/sheet. Roughly chop the onions then transfer to your mini food chopper. Whiz until finely chopped. Alternatively, you can grate them.
- Add the onions into a medium-large mixing bowl, along with the lamb mince and the salt & pepper. Mix it well with your hands and form into meatballs of equal size, about 1 ½ inch in diameter, you should get around 22-23. Add them to the wire rack as you go, leaving a little gap between each one. Transfer to the oven and grill/broil for 9 minutes or until lightly charred, then turn them and continue to cook for another 6-7 minutes, until lovely and charred. Alternatively, cook on the barbecue grill for the about the same amount of time, turning 2-3 times.
Notes
BABY-LED WEANING
You can serve the meatballs as they are, or smash them down and break them up for little one. 6-8 months Cut a large tomato into large wedges or give it to them whole. Cut cucumber into long finger size sticks, leaving skin on for grip. 9 months + Cherry tomatoes need to be cut into little wedges lengthways, at least in quarter. Peel the cucumber and serve as little finger size sticks.SPOON FEEDING
If you’re serving with flatbreads (not rice) you’ll just need a little plain or greek yogurt. You can also give them a few strips of flatbread as finger food. 6 months Add some broken up meatballs, roughly chopped cucumber and tomato to your stick blender pot (or food chopper if it purées). If serving rice then add a little. If not then add a little yogurt. Whizz into a purée. Add a little water or more yogurt to loosen. 7-9 months Add some broken up meatballs, roughly chopped cucumber and tomato to your food chopper. Add a little rice if serving, or a little yogurt of not. Using short sharp pulses, to finely chop, checking and adding a little more yogurt or cold water to loosen as you go. 10-12 months Add the meatballs, roughly chopped tomato and cucumber to your food chopper pot. If not serving with rice, add in a little yogurt. Gradually pulse, checking the consistency. It should lumpy with small pieces. Once the consistency is right, empty it into their bowl and add some rice if serving and stir through. If it needs loosening, add a little more yogurt or water. Toddlers Break up the meatballs into bite-size pieces. The cucumber and tomato as you’ve prepared it for the salad will be fine to serve as is, just serve without onion. You can also serve their’s undressed and without the herbs if you like. Fussy Eaters Separate off some cucumber and tomato before you assemble the salad. If they are tomato haters, you can swap theirs for something else like pepper. Either give them the plain salad veggies or toss them in a drop of lime juice.Nutrition
Calories: 461kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 22gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 83mgPotassium: 574mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 289IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 3mg
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