Erik's Turkish Recipes - No.1 - Meatballs

by **Erik The Viking** » 25 Mar 2008 19:54

Ingredients
1 cup fine fresh breadcrumbs
1 lb lean ground lamb
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon dried mint
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons parsley
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1 Make the bread crumbs by breaking up 2 slices of stale but not dried out whole wheat bread into the bowl of a food processor.

2 Whizz until finely crumbed.

3 Add the ground lamb and the egg, and process until blended.

4 Add the spices, garlic and parsley.

5 Process the meat well to achieve a fine texture.

6 Roll the mixture into small meatballs (I use a melonballer) or finger shaped patties using dampened hands.

7 You may cook them at once, or refrigerate the mixture for several hours.

8 (If your meat is very fresh, you can divide it in half and wrap part well in plastic for the next day's meal.) Heat the oil in a heavy skillet, and fry the balls or patties until cooked through and evenly browned.

9 The meatballs should be stirred several times, the patties turned once.

10 Remove them with a slotted spoon to drain.

11 Serve the meatballs hot or at room temperature as an appetizer.

12 Lovely with a yogurt or tahini sauce, on a bed of rice or in a pita.