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When Entertaining with Small Plates, Less can be More

Posted by Peggy on December 23, 2014

Recipe: Savory Lamb Meatballs with Pomegranate Syrup

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 5 Tablespoons currants
  • 1 heaping teaspoon ground cardamom, optional
  • 1/2-1 cup chopped mint
  • 1 cup panko
  • 2 pounds ground lamb
  • 1 pound of ground beef (chuck makes the juiciest meatball)
  • Pomegranate syrup, as needed
  • Orange zest, optional garnish

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk eggs together with garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, cinnamon, currants and cardamom (if using). Stir mint and panko into seasonings to combine.
  2. Gently knead the lamb and beef into the mixture. (Cook a small bit of the batch, taste, and adjust seasonings to palate.) Divide and form into apx. 32 meatballs, shaped a tad larger than a golf ball. (They may be frozen for up to 2 weeks, at this point.)
  3. When ready to serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  4. On middle rack of oven, bake (thawed) lamb 15 minutes. Serve with pomegranate syrup garnished with orange zest, if using.
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Number of servings (yield): apx. 34 meatballs (a bit larger than) golf-ball sized 

Copyright © Peggy Lampman's dinnerFeed.
Recipe: Mediterranean Salad in Phyllo Cups

Ingredients

  • 15 mini phyllo shells* (1 box), defrosted
  • 1/3 cup your favorite hummus or baba ganoush
  • 1/4  cup diced English cucumber
  • 3 tablespoons diced roasted red pepper
  • 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped basil or mint

Instructions

  1. Divide hummus or baba ganoush between phyllo shells.
  2. Combine  cucumber, roasted red pepper, feta cheese and basil or mint; add freshly ground pepper to taste. Evenly between the shells and serve.

*I used the Athens Mini Fillo Shells brand, found in the freezer sections of most groceries.

Cooking time: 15 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 15 stuffed cups

Copyright © Peggy Lampman's dinnerFeed.