Lamb Meatball Curry

I found this recipe while browsing TasteSpotting. It's from the Cookin' Canuck blog.

Lamb is something I'm not very experienced with and I'm not entirely sure I like it. Well, sometimes I LOVE it!! But other times it's a little too, umm... I don't know... lamby...

I love lamb kebobs from Baba D's, and gyros... but other than that... I've never really eaten it. And even when eating the kebobs that I really do love, there's a touch of an under-flavor that I'm not wild about.

Anyway. I saw this recipe and decided that I wanted to make it.

This is also my first from scratch curry. I've made plenty of curry recipes before, but they all have included an ingredient with 'curry' in the name. This recipe has no such ingredient! Yay me!



Lamb Meatball Curry

for the meatballs

1 1/2 lbs ground lamb
1 tbsp minced green chili
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste (I just grated ginger & garlic)
1 cup boiled and mashed potatoes
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Salt
for curry sauce
1 cup chopped onion paste
1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 1/2 cups tomato puree
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp garam masala
1 1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tbsp kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves)
1/3 cup cashews (blanched and turned into a paste*)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tbsp. cooking oil
1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
Salt

Mix all meatball ingredients. Form into meatballs. Mine were about 1.5 inches. Place meatballs on baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to a day.

Preheat oven to 400F. Bake meatballs for 20 minutes.

For the sauce... heat ghee & oil in a thick bottom pot. Add onion, ginger and garlic paste and cook them until all the liquid in the paste evaporates. Stir frequently, cook slowly on medium heat.

When the paste turns golden brown add cumin powder, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper and coriander powder. When you add the dry ingredients it starts to burn quickly so stir it all together to mix well and add tomato puree.

Cook the puree until the sauce begins to thicken.

Then add cashew paste and cream, and cook some more. You will see oil on the edges then add garam masala and kasuri methi (fenugreek).

Mix it together and throw in all the meatballs (also the drippings in the baking dish).

Turn the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for a nice 6-8 minutes.

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Ok... so make mashed potatoes for the meatballs. This would be a really good use for leftover mashies. I've never used mashed potatoes as a binder before and I have to say, I'm a fan.



Mix up all of the meatball ingredients


Roll into meatballs.


Cover with plastic wrap and into the fridge!

Preheat the oven to 400F.


Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes.


Now to make the sauce.

I ground my cashews, but they didn't really turn to a paste. It was kind of powdered, but it could pinch it back together. It seemed to work out fine.


So, heat ghee & oil, add onion, ginger & garlic paste.


Cook slowly, stirring frequently.


I was afraid of burning it and stopped short of golden... but I did get the excess moisture evaporated.


Fragrant bowl of spices.


Into the pot!




Plus tomato sauce.


Cook until it starts to thicken.


Add cashews & cream.


Cook some more and add fenugreek & garam masala and stir.


Now add your beautiful cooked meatballs plus any drippings to the sauce.




Gently stir them in, until everything is well coated and simmer for 6 - 8 minutes.


Now they're ready to enjoy!!

I served them over couscous.


They were really tasty. I loved the sauce. There was that lambyness... that I'm still not sure that I love. Jon enjoyed these too.

Would I make them again? I think if I used half beef/half lamb I would have enjoyed them more.

Meatballs

Tawny loves meatballs. She loves homemade meatballs. There is no way to sneak a frozen meatball past her lips. She knows. She always knows! Lots of people say they know... but lots of those same people really don't. They can be tricked. But not Tawny.

She left for college last week and Spaghetti & Homemade Meatballs was on her list of dinners she'd like me to make before she leaves.

So I made homemade meatballs.

They really aren't much work. I have no idea why, more often than not, I resort to frozen meatballs. Well, yeah I do. They are WAY faster on a work night. But that's no excuse for using frozen more often than homemade. I could take a little time on the weekend, make my homemade meatballs then freeze them and store them in the freezer in FoodSaver bags. Then they'd be just as easy as frozen wouldn't they?

Ok... I'm done arguing with myself.

Homemade Meatballs! They are easy and can be just as convenient as frozen!

Most of these measurements are approximate.

Meatballs
2 lbs. ground beef (or beef/veal/pork combo)
1 medium onion, grated
3 - 4 large cloves of garlic, grated
2 TBLS Italian herbs
1 C Parmesan/Romano/Asiago blend, grated
2 C bread crumbs
1 C tomato sauce
1 egg
salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients until well mixed.
Roll into balls. I usually do 1 inch meatballs, but these are 2 inch meatballs. Place on wire rack in a baking sheet with sides. Bake at 350F 20 - 30 minutes, depending on how big you make your meatballs. You just want them to be cooked through. Now they're ready to eat! I always simmer mine a in a pot of sauce after I take them out of the oven.

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Mix it all up!




Roll into balls.

I usually like to make 1 inch balls. Then they fit perfectly in a Meatball Sub. Tawny wanted big meatballs. So these are big. I guess they'd be nice cut in half in subs. Anyway... this time I made big ones, at least 2 inches.



Bake them until cooked through.


I don't know why I started baking them. My mom always cooked her meatballs IN the sauce. Most of the recipes I see online call for frying them. I remember baking them when I first moved out on my own. It started as just baking on a baking sheet. But I think the little puddle of grease around them grossed me out, so I started baking them on a rack.



If I was going to make a big batch and freeze some for later. This is where I'd stop and flash freeze them, then put them in vacuum-sealed bags.

Now into the pot of sauce!




They're ready to serve with whatever you like!


Enjoy!