Middle Eastern Meatballs

Ingredients:

500g finely minced lean lamb or beef
pinch of salt
1 onion, finely chopped
10ml ground cumin
5ml ground allspice
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped coriander leaves
olive oil

Method:

Blend all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor until smooth and pasty.

Wet your hands to stop the mixture from sticking, and form small balls.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the meatballs. Test the tiny meatballs after 5 minutes; larger ones may take 10 minutes.

Drain well on kitchen paper.

The meatballs can also be partially cooked and finished in the oven.

Make smaller meatballs if serving with drinks. The mixture will yield about 40 cocktail-sized meatballs and about 25 larger ones to serve as part of a meal.

Falafel with Garlic Tahini Sauce

Tahini is a Middle Eastern sesame seed paste you can find
in most grocery stores.
Ingredients: 

For the tahini sauce:225 g tahini 
(seasame seed paste)1/2 a tin of chickpeas, 
drained and rinsedjuice  of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, chopped
5ml sea salt
2.5ml cayenne pepper

For the falafel:
1/2 a tin of chickpeas, drained350g lamb mince
50ml spring onions, white and light-green parts only, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
60 g finely chopped parsley
5ml sea salt
5ml ground coriander
5ml ground cumin
2.5ml ground black pepper
A large pinch cayenne
125 ml olive oil

Method:

To make the sauce, combine ingredients in a food processor.
As you purée, add chickpeas and 170ml of water through feed tube until mixture is smooth.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Sauce should be thinner than hummus.
For the balls, in a large ball, mash chickpeas with a potato masher or fork.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well with your hands until well blended.
Form into 2 cm balls.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Cook balls in batches for 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally until golden-brown and just cooked.
Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Drizzle with sauce and serve immediately.

Meatball Curry

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
1 green serrano chile, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Sea salt

Curry:
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds
4 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 (1-inch piece) ginger, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
1 (14-ounce can) full-fat coconut milk
Sea salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh Coriander leaf
2 teaspoons lime juice (about half a lime)

Serving suggestions:
Rice, Indian bread, such as naan or chapatti or spaghetti

Method:
For the meatballs: 
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, chile, ginger, coriander leaf and 1 teaspoon salt together using your hands until just combined. (Don't mix any more than this or you'll end up with tough meatballs!) 
Make 16 balls like this: divide the mixture in half, and then in half again. Take each quarter and divide it into 4 small portions. Roll each portion between your palms until smooth. Set aside and repeat for all 16 meatballs

For the curry: 
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the coconut oil until nearly smoking. Add the mustard seeds, covering the pan with a lid so you don't get popping seeds all over you.
When the spluttering subsides, add the shallots, garlic and ginger and cook until golden brown. Then add the ground coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir, and cook 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook about 5 minutes until they soften.
Add the coconut milk, 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Turn down to a simmer and add the meatballs. Simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
To finish, add the cilantro and lime juice. Shake the pan gently to mix them in, and then taste for seasoning. Serve over rice, with Indian bread (naan or chapati) or over spaghetti!

Meatball Mozzarella Pasta Bake

 Ingredients:

450 gram Extra lean beef mince

1 Onion, grated

1 sachet KNORR Savoury Mince Dry Cook-in-Sauce

30 ml sunflower oil

1 Red pepper, sliced

2 tins chopped tomatoes

15 ml Italian Herbs

350 gram Penne pasta

100 gram Mozzarella cheese, grated

Method:

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil then add the penne pasta and cook to al dente, drain and set aside

Preheat oven to 200C

In a bowl mix the beef mince with the grated onion and half of the contents of the sachet of KNORR Savoury Mince Dry Cook-in-Sauce

Shape the mixture into meatballs

Heat oil in a large pan and fry the meatballs until well browned then remove and set aside

Fry the red pepper until tender then add the tinned tomatoes, Italian Herbs and stir in the remaining contents of the sachet of KNORR Savoury Mince Dry Cook-in-Sauce

Return the meatballs to the pan and allow to simmer for 10 minutes

Remove the pan from the heat and toss with the cooked penne pasta

Transfer to an ovenproof casserole dish and top mozzarella then place in the oven and bake until golden brown

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients:

500g beef mince

500g sausage meat or pork mince

250ml breadcrumbs

15ml Italian seasoning

3 eggs

3 garlic cloves, minced

5ml sea salt

5ml freshly ground black pepper

250g mozzarella cheese, cut into 1cm cubes

Olive oil

Spaghetti sauce

Method:

In a large bowl, mix the beef, sausage meat, breadcrumbs, seasoning, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper well with the hands, massaging all the ingredients together.

Form into 2 inch balls, press a cube of mozzarella in the middle and seal the meat all around it.

Heat a shallow layer of olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the meat balls until golden all over.

Set aside on a plate.

Pour the spaghetti sauce into a pan and bring to a simmer.

Add the meatballs and simmer for about 30 minutes until cooked through.

Serve with spaghetti.