What a meaty night...
Leon meatball recipe at the bottom...
The meatballs
1½ wholemeal flatbreads (the smaller size, roughly 20cm in diameter) or pitta
120ml milk
1kg minced lamb
A small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
A small handful of mint, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
The sauce
30ml olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 x 800g tins of chopped tomatoes
1½ tbsp harissa
( this is AMAZING and my new favourite flavour ever)
A handful of basil, leaves picked and chopped
A handful of parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
Rip the flatbread into pieces and soak in the milk for 10 minutes. Then put the bread into a mixing bowl, add the mince and stir in the parsley, mint, oregano, garlic and some seasoning.
Mix well, then roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls (about 20g each).
Either on a griddle pan (best) or under a very hot grill, brown the balls quickly - it's all about colouring them and not cooking them through ... five minutes total cooking time with about three turns on the griddle.
To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and gently fry the crushed garlic. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and harissa and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the sauce has reduced. Put in the meatballs and continue to simmer for a further 20 minutes with a lid on until the sauce looks about right.
Lastly, stir in the herbs and have a final seasoning check.
