This is another dish born out of the COVID-19 time at home; before we ran to the country, I was using what we had in the fridge in our apartment, and I had some ground Lamb and most of the ingredients to make a Persian Lamb meatballs from one of my cookbooks. Since I did not have everything, I wrote down the substitutions I was making to the original recipe, which evolved from there. The Orignal recipe called for potatoes in the sauce; I took them out since it became more of a stew,
Ingredients
Meatballs
1 lb of ground lamb
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of dried mint
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
Sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
4 shallots, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste.
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray.
Sauce
Drizzle olive oil in a large, deep skillet and place over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add shallots and saute until soft, about five minutes. Add garlic and saute for thirty seconds; add turmeric, cinnamon, and tomato paste and saute for thirty seconds. Add a can of diced tomatoes and half a can of water, reduce heat, and simmer for twenty-five minutes, uncovered.
Meatballs
In a bowl, place lamb, shallots, garlic, dried herbs, spices, pepper, and salt, and using your hand, combine, but do not overwork.
Roll into balls about 1 1/2 inches and place on the prepared baking sheet; drizzle with Olive Oil and bake for twenty minutes. Once done, remove the meatballs from the oven and place the sauce in the skillet; reduce heat to low and simmer for fifteen minutes.
Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve with a nice crust baguette.