Lamb meatballs with sour cherries, pomegranates & pistachios

March 15, 2019 Family Dinners

Nutrition and extra info

Freezable

Nutrition: per serving

kcal569

fat35g

saturates14g

carbs15g

sugars12g

fibre5g

protein44g

salt2.2g

Ingredients

Method

Ingredients

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

Olive oil

ol-iv oyl

Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It’s…

2 tbsp chopped coriander

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Parsley

par-slee

One of the most ubiquitous herbs in British cookery, parsley is also popular in European and…

2 tbsp very roughly chopped pistachios

2 tbsp pomegranate seeds

For the meatballs

1.2kg lamb mince

1 small red onion, grated

4 garlic cloves, grated

1 red chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped

1 lemon, zested

Lemon

le-mon

Oval in shape, with a pronouced bulge on one end, lemons are one of the most versatile fruits…

50g fresh white breadcrumbs

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground allspice

3 tsp ground cumin

For the sauce

75g dried sour cherries

100ml pomegranate juice

1 large onion, finely chopped

Onion

un-yun

Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…

2 garlic cloves, crushed

100ml red wine

Method

Put all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl and mix them together with your hands, really pummelling the meat so that the spices and seasoning get well mixed in. Using wet hands, form the meat into 24 balls just a little bigger than a walnut.
As you form these, put them on to a baking sheet or a tray. Cover them and put in the fridge for 45 mins or so to firm up.
For the sauce, put the cherries and the pomegranate juice in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Take the pan off the heat and leave the cherries to sit in the warm liquid and plump up for 40 mins or so.
Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs in batches (they will give off lots of oil when frying). Transfer to a plate as each lot are browned. Remember you aren’t cooking these through, just browning them. Gently fry the onion in 1 tbsp oil in a large shallow casserole or deep frying pan until pale gold. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of mins, then add the wine, stock, pomegranate molasses, cinnamon and bay. Add the cherries, too – they should have absorbed nearly all of the pomegranate juice.
Put the meatballs back in the pan. Bring the sauce to just under boiling, then turn the heat down low, season well, cover the pan and cook for 15 mins. Take the lid off and cook for another 15 mins. You should have a nice sauce around the meatballs, but if it seems too thin, remove the meatballs and reduce the sauce by boiling it, then put the meatballs back in.
Taste for seasoning – you should consider the sweetness as well as the saltiness – and adjust it if you need to (you could add a teaspoon of honey, or a little more pomegranate molasses). Scatter with the herbs, pistachios and pomegranate seeds to finish.

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