Look at that! Rich tangy tomato sauce, tender perfect meatballs, creamy egg yolk, cool plain yogurt and refreshing mint. I figured this dish would be fun to make with a team of friends, so I enlisted some of my fav foodies. What a blast we had cooking, sipping wine and laughing. They were all amazing helpers, which allowed me to get some good photos. Thanks to Lauren, Cathie and Stuart for all your help. You all are welcome to come cook with me anytime!
Here is what you will need.
Meatballs
2 1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1″ pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons maldon salt
1/2 pound (about 2 cups) fine bread crumbs
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Sauce
1 large spanish onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon maldon salt
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted and ground
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 dutch or other spicy long red chilies, pierced with a sharp knife
One 28 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes, drained, trimmed and squished with your hands….San Marzano’s are the best.
1/2 cup or more of whole milk greek yogurt
4 large eggs
Finishing
small handful of mint
small handful of delicate cilantro sprigs
extra virgin olive oil
You will also need a meat grinder, the attachment for the kitchen aid stand mixer works perfectly. April says grinding the meat yourself will produce a light, airy and delicate ground meat. Commercially ground meat is over worked, sticky and paste like. She was right, the meatballs came out amazingly tender and light. I will forever grind my own meat:)
First step – place cubed lamb meat into a bowl and set in freezer for an hour or so until the edges get crunchy and slightly frozen.
Toss the cubed meat with salt and the bread crumbs. Grind the meat through the medium die
Run it through again on the same medium die. Nice job Cathie! Raw meat never really photographs well, but this looks cool.
Before you start rolling out your meatballs, sear one off to check for seasoning. At this point you could add more salt if needed. Once you’re comfortable with the seasoning, start shaping your balls.
Perfectly shaped balls by Stuart
Now its time to brown the balls. Sear them on all side, do not cook them through. Let them rest to the side while you make the sauce.
Toast the cumin and coriander
Grind in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder
Grind to a fine powder, some larger bits are ok for texture
Over a high heat saute the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, then add the ground spices . Add pierced chilies (I couldn’t find long red chilies so I used green ones) and the squished tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes then add 4 cups of water, bring to boil, turn down to a low simmer for 5 minutes.
Cathie loved squishing the tomatoes 🙂
Add the seared meatballs into sauce and simmer slowly for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add blobs of yogurt and the eggs. Simmer on low for about 10 more minutes, this will poach the eggs and leave them with firm whites and runny yolks. Check the eggs at 5 minutes to see how they’re coming along, strain them out when the eggs are the way you like them, cooked soft or hard, your choice. I like runny yolks. Sprinkle the cilantro and mint torn in small pieces over the whole stew. Finish with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Check out the eggs cooked, hard white runny yolks. perfect!
Make yourself a bowl and eat immediately. The recipe made a ton, easily enough for 6 people, I had doubled it so everyone got balls to take home. I had so much fun making this with my friends, its a great group effort dish. Grab your family/friends and settle in for an afternoon of cooking and great eating.
Cheers!!!
Chef Sarah Spry 
