Neven Maguire, one of Ireland’s best known chefs, says that lamb is “both delicious and easy to cook”. To celebrate their autumn lamb promotion, Bord Bia have developed a range of delicious lamb recipes for every day of the week. Below is one of the recipes available. For a quick midweek meal try ‘Spiced Meatballs with Chilli Tomato Sauce’.
Spiced Meatballs with Chilli Tomato Sauce (serves 4 )
The origins of the recipe come from the Middle East, where lamb is plentiful. If you don’t want to use passata (sieved tomatoes ) simply replace with two cans of chopped tomatoes.
450g lean minced lamb
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
50g pine nuts
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
For the chilli tomato sauce:
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
680g jar passata (sieved tomatoes )
1 tsp sugar
Serve with plain boiled rice.
Place the onion in a food processor and whizz to a fine purée. Tip into a bowl with the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, parsley, lamb and pine nuts. Season and work to a paste with your hands. Roll the paste into small walnut-sized balls; you should have about 20 in total. Chill for 15 minutes to firm up if time allows.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 6, 200ºC (400ºF ). Toss the meatballs in the oil and place in an ovenproof dish. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden.
Meanwhile, place the chilli, garlic, passata, and sugar in a jug. Season and mix well to combine. Pour over the meatballs and bake for another 30 minutes, turning the meatballs once until the sauce has slightly reduced and thickened. Serve hot with some rice in warmed wide-rimmed bowls.
Nutrition analysis per serving:
Energy: 528kcal
Protein: 28g
Fat: 28g
Iron: 4.6mg
Carbohydrates: 47g
Recipes for all of Bord Bia’s Lamb dishes are available to download at www.bordbia.ie/aboutfood/recipes/lamb So why not get started by logging on and treating your nearest and dearest to some innovative culinary lamb delights.
