Lamb meatballs with whipped feta, chickpeas and dill
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
450g lamb mince
1 tsp fine sea salt
Black pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
½ peeled brown onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater
10g fresh mint leaves
10g parsley leaves
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
The veggies:
200g zucchini, sliced into rounds approximately ½ cm thick
1 (400g) tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
150g cherry tomatoes, halved
Juice of ½ lemon
Whipped feta yoghurt:
75g feta
150g Greek yogurt
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp. fine sea salt
Black pepper
To garnish:
½ large telegraph cucumber, thinly sliced
Fresh dill
Method:
For the meatballs, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix, using clean hands or a spoon, until evenly combined. Shape into approximately 20 heaped-tablespoon-sized balls and roll them into rounds.
Heat a large (large enough for the zucchini to lay flat in one layer) [JW2] non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium–high heat and add the olive oil. Add the meatballs and cook for about 2–3 minutes without touching them, and then flip and cook for the same time on the other side. Roll them around a bit to ensure all sides are evenly cooked for about another 2 minutes. In total, they should take about 6-7 minutes to cook through. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Add in the zucchini slices to the pan with the lamb fat and make sure they lay flat in one even layer. Season them with salt. Allow them to fry for about 2 minutes per side until browned and softened but not mushy. Remove them from the pan as well, then add the chickpeas and the tomatoes into the same pan and fry them together, tossing every few seconds, for about 3 minutes. Here you are just trying to soften the tomatoes slightly and warm the chickpeas through.
Combine all the ingredients for the whipped feta yoghurt together in a small blender or food processor and blend until mostly smooth.
Spread the feta yoghurt on the base of a plate or platter and top with all the cooked ingredients. Garnish with sliced cucumbers and fresh picked dill and squeeze the other half of the lemon on top of everything. Enjoy immediately.