• Delicious DELICIOUS meatballs
    70 replies, posted
These middle eastern style meatballs are delicious. And reasonably healthy. [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/plated.jpg[/img] mmmmmmmmmm I made these about a week ago and took photos but never bothered to make a thread because it was too much effort. The recipe came out of a cookbook a while ago. I can't remember what book or promise this is accurate since after the first time I read it I've just been vaguely following it. It serves 4-5 people. SO here's some stuff you'll probably need [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/ingredients.jpg[/img] [list] [*]Lamb mince - about half a kilo [*]an onion [*]some garlic [*]fresh coriander [*]ground cumin and ground cinnamon as well as salt and black pepper [*]chickpeas (canned is easy) [*]can of chopped tomates [*]about 3/4 of a pint of vegetable stock [*]a bit of olive oil [*]some breadcrumbs (grind up a ryvita if you're feeling lazy- it's what i do) To serve with it (obviously you can replace this with whatever you want): [*]cous cous [*]spinach [/list] Once you have all those things, cook them. Roughly chop half your onion and a clove of garlic [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/onion1.jpg[/img] Bang it in a pan with some olive oil and fry it for a couple of minutes (don't colour them, just soften them) then add a splash of the stock and cover it, leaving it for a further 5 minutes to soften off. [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/sweatyonions.jpg[/img] In the meantime, start making your meatballs. Finely chop (or grate) the other half of the onion and about 1-2tsp of fresh coriander [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/onion2.jpg[/img] Pop into a bowl your onion, coriander, about 1/2 tsp of ground cumin, 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon, the breadcrumbs and then season well with salt and black pepper as well as about 1-2 tbsp of the stock just for moisture [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/drymeatballs.jpg[/img] Then add the lamb mince to the mixture and mix it well (use your hands - knead it) then form it into about 20 meatballs [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/uncookedballs.jpg[/img] At some point in the making of these meatballs, in all likelihood your onions will be superbly softened. At this juncture you should add to whatever pan you're using to make the sauce in some more ingredients. Add the can of tomatoes, about half a pint of stock, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, black pepper, a little bit more freshly chopped coriander. Cover the pan and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes. [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/saucereducing1.jpg[/img] Now, you can get those meatballs ready. Pop them in a hot pan and fry them so that they're browned on all sides. Once that's done, sit them on a sheet of kitchen roll on a plate so that the oil drains off. [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/browning.jpg[/img] You're probably going to want to rinse your chickpeas as well at around this time. [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/chicks.jpg[/img] At this point, step back and admire your work and your beautifully messy kitchen and wish your kitchen at university was as big as the one you have at home [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/kitchen.jpg[/img] Once your sauce has been simmering for about 5-10 minutes, add in your chickpeas. Simmer for a further 5 minutes then bang in your browned meatballs, cover it and cook for another 10-15 minutes. [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/allin.jpg[/img] When you've got 5 minutes left, prepare whatever it is you're serving it with. I'm serving it with cous cous so just throw that in a bowl or a pan with hot water and a splash of oil for 5 minutes until it swells up. The spinach i'm just wilting by throwing it in the top half of a steamer with some water in the bottom. It'll probably only take about 3 minutes to wilt. [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/spinach1.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/couscous.jpg[/img] Now you're ready to serve it. Check your meatballs are cooked, if they're not give it another 5 minutes covered in the pan. If you're using cous cous, you might want to liven it up a little by stirring through some lemon juice and finely chopped fresh coriander. I meant to, but forgot. Bang it on a plate and ta-dah, food. It's sexy. It may even get you sex. [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/meatballs/plated.jpg[/img]
Hey, hey, there's already a thread for all this sort of stuff, what's with all the new cooking threads all of a sudden? (also adding some tomato puree to the sauce and letting it cook down a tad longer will mean a slightly less watery result)
good god i love meatballs i mean you can almost lather anything you want onto them and it'll still taste great my only complaint is the homoerotic capability of meatballs.
[QUOTE=DaveP;17227121]Hey, hey, there's already a thread for all this sort of stuff, what's with all the new cooking threads all of a sudden? (also adding some tomato puree to the sauce and letting it cook down a tad longer will mean a slightly less watery result)[/QUOTE] you shouldn't really need to add tomato puree, tomatoes aren't the primary flavour. in any route, i did give it a bit longer at the end uncovered to thicken up a little. but that's obviously at the discretion of whoever's cooking it
[QUOTE=mike;17227132]you shouldn't really need to add tomato puree, tomatoes aren't the primary flavour. in any route, i did give it a bit longer at the end uncovered to thicken up a little. but that's obviously at the discretion of whoever's cooking it[/QUOTE] Another option for those that wanted a thicker sauce would also be to throw the spinach into the sauce and let them wilt, a nice way to add greens to stuff like curries
So the question here now is ... Do you really wanna put mike's balls in your mouth?
Looks tasty. I was a little afraid to see what kind of a thread you were going to make, but seems like it was unnecessary. I'm envious of your kitchen and especially your gas stove, I want one too!
[QUOTE=windy_crack;17227210]So the question here now is ... Do you really wanna put mike's balls in your mouth?[/QUOTE] Judging from the pictures in that post yes i do
[QUOTE=Major Helper;17227237]Looks tasty. I was a little afraid to see what kind of a thread you were going to make, but seems like it was unnecessary. I'm envious of your kitchen and especially your gas stove, I want one too![/QUOTE] cheers. i hate cooking on anything except gas now, you just lose so much control with the electric ones. luckily, all the ones i use regularly are gas. i just bought me a new chef's knife and butcher's steel for my university house, it's fit
I see you're economising by using Waitrose basics. Looks delicious, Mike.
[QUOTE=mike;17227264]cheers. i hate cooking on anything except gas now, you just lose so much control with the electric ones. luckily, all the ones i use regularly are gas. [/QUOTE] Same, so glad I have a gas cooker at my uni house, warms stuff up so much quicker too
You don't serve meatballs with couscous. You serve them with boiled potatoes, gravy and lingonberry-jam.
:sweden:
lamb mince? pig/cow mince is better
[QUOTE=DaveP;17227324]Same, so glad I have a gas cooker at my uni house, warms stuff up so much quicker too[/QUOTE] also without gas it's much harder to make crepes the manly way, using FIRE [img]http://www.mikeh269.com/files/flambeeeee.jpg[/img]
is that a giant cupcake.
yes. it is used to contain delicious biscuits.
Ah you made me hungry D:
then go and cook. i made soup yesterday. butternut squash and ginger. pretty tasty stuff.
They look delicious
I love meatballs, and these look great. I will probably make this in the next few weeks.
who doesnt love meaty balls
I've always wanted to learn to cook. Now I may have something to try my culinary skills at! Cheers Mike.
I wonder if foghorn can cook. I mean, she's a woman! Also, Lovely thread OP.
We REALLY need a cooking subform here. It would be amazing. Also, OP, you're forgetting. When you're in a dorm, you don't have the time to cook. I learned this the moment I moved in. It's a shame, really. On a side note, I don't have a gas stove, only electric, which is even more unfortunate. I miss the granite counter-tops, the GE gas stove, vast freezer and fridge space, and two-sinked kitchen at my house.
[QUOTE=DaveP;17227121]Hey, hey, there's already a thread for all this sort of stuff, what's with all the new cooking threads all of a sudden? (also adding some tomato puree to the sauce and letting it cook down a tad longer will mean a slightly less watery result)[/QUOTE] That thread got locked down by Vent, for no apparent reason. (Dick)
Cous cous?! MEAT BALLS?! FUCKING YES
IIRC there was a cooking custom forum, but hezzy killed it.
[QUOTE=Master117;17229314]We REALLY need a cooking subform here. It would be amazing. Also, OP, you're forgetting. When you're in a dorm, you don't have the time to cook. I learned this the moment I moved in. It's a shame, really. On a side note, I don't have a gas stove, only electric, which is even more unfortunate. I miss the granite counter-tops, the GE gas stove, vast freezer and fridge space, and two-sinked kitchen at my house.[/QUOTE] i could cook in my halls of residence. it just took some ingenuity. i made a few hotpot type things and various risottos and pastas.
Next time you go to Ikea, get some meatballs there. Swedish meatballs are the best. [img]http://www.calvintam.com/pictures/ikeameatballs.jpg[/img] For the curious, here's what is inside it that makes it so special: [img]http://pilp.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/ikea-meatball-by-lunchbreath.jpg[/img]
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