Spiced lamb meatball traybake with chickpeas and sumac feta
I imagine this spilling indecently out the top of puffy white pitas, or enjoyed, fresh from a swim, with a fork dipping into the tray, the need for plates debatable. I've made the quantity for 1kg lamb mince so you can have half now and extra meatballs for the freezer, ready for a long day when it's simpler to defrost rather than think. I've got you.
Ingredients
1kg lamb mince
1 tbsp coriander seeds, freshly ground
1 tbsp cumin seeds, freshly ground
2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp ground turmeric
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tbsp finely chopped mixed soft herbs (I used coriander, flat-leaf parsley, mint and chives)
400g can chickpeas, rinsed
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup Persian-style feta
2 tsp ground sumac
1 cup mixed herbs, coarsely torn, to scatter
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
2. Combine the dry spices in a bowl, and reserve 1 tablespoon of the spice mix for the chickpeas.
3. Combine the mince, remaining spice mix, garlic and chopped herbs in a bowl. Using your hands, ensure everything is thoroughly incorporated.
4. Generously oil the base of a roasting tray. Roll the mince mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs and place half of the balls on the tray, packing the rest into a freezer-safe container for another dinner. (If you only want to make this for immediate consumption, simply halve the amount of mince and spices.)
5. Add the chickpeas and cranberries to the tray, around the meatballs, and scatter over the remaining spice mix.
6. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are golden and cooked through and the chickpeas have begun to crisp.
7. Remove from the oven and immediately scatter over the feta so that it softens and melts luxuriously over the chickpeas. Season the feta with sumac then scatter the mixed herbs over the top. Serve immediately. Eat exactly as is or stretch it by serving with piping-hot fluffy pitas.
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Katrina Meynink is a cookbook author and Good Food recipe columnist.
