Lamb Meatballs with Fruity Couscous
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
These meatballs are full of flavor, tender and just plain wonderful. Most everyone at the table went back for seconds.
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Meatballs
  • 2 slices white bread, crusts trimmed
  • Milk, for soaking
  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley (divided in two)
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint
  • 3 tablespoons grated onion
  • 2 large cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
  • 1 lemon, juiced, plus 2 tsp zest
  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1½ teaspoons olive oil
Couscous
  • 1 cup couscous
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • ¼ cup sultanas or raisins
  • ¼ cup Turkish apricots, chopped
  • ¼ cup dates, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • olive oil
  • ½ cup tzatziki sauce (picked mine up at the deli)
Instructions
Meatballs
  1. Preheat the oven to 210C/425F.
  2. Soak the bread in the milk.
  3. Add the lamb and the egg to a large mixing bowl.
  4. Wring out the excess milk from the soaked bread and crumble it into the lamb.
  5. Stir in half the parsley, the mint, onion, garlic, lemon zest, marjoram, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and mix together.
  6. Using an ice cream scoop, make about 20 meatballs (my scoop turned out 17) and place on a nonstick or parchment-lined baking sheet.
  7. Bake until browned, 15 to 18 minutes.
Fruity Couscous
  1. In a small saucepan add the chicken stock and the dried fruit and bring to the boil add salt.
  2. In a low casserole dish spread out the couscous and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.
  3. When the stock and fruit have just come to a boil, pour over couscous.
  4. Stir well to incorporate the fruit and cover the disk with cling film/plastic wrap.
  5. In 3-5 minutes, fluff with a fork.
Assembly
  1. Place couscous on a platter and place meatballs on top.
  2. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.
Recipe by Orgasmic Chef at https://orgasmicchef.recipes/lamb-meatballs-with-fruity-couscous/