Every time I start to feel particularly guilty about the number of as yet un-read food magazines that are piling up on my coffee table, I’ll hit the proverbial jackpot with a few recipes that make the plethora of subscriptions worthwhile. Clearly I’m choosing to ignore the counterargument that these recipes are generally available online at on the magazines’ website for free, but I like the feeling of flipping through real, tangible pages filled with colorful and inviting pictures of food. I like to splatter all kinds of stray sauce to be permanently archived on the recipes while I follow along. Isn’t that what cooking is all about?
I haven’t totally thought through the repurcussions of so many subscriptions, in terms of what will happen one, two, three years from now when the pile of magazines is bigger than I am. Right now they tuck relatively neatly into about half a shelf on the bookcase but that won’t always be the case. Will I build special shelves all over the walls just to accommodate my overflow of glossy food pictures? Keep them in stacks under the furniture? Win the lottery, move into a two-bedroom apartment, accept my status as a hoarder and devote the spare bedroom to storage? It’s a lot to think about, but in the meantime I’m going to enjoy opening my mailbox and getting excited about the magazines waiting for me inside four times a month.
Tucked inside the May 2014 issue of Saveur, featuring a delicious plate of crepes on the cover, is this gem of a recipe for Moroccan-inspired lamb meatballs. They are browned in oil, then simmered in a harissa-tomato sauce until tender. Then they are combined with arugula, cherry tomatoes and a garlicky sauce that perfectly complements the spicy tomato sauce. Trust me when I tell you that you really, really want to make these meatballs this summer.
These would make a great platter for a late summer party (can you believe it’s late summer already? What happened?), 36 perfect little meatballs nestled on a bed of arugula. Even better, they make absolutely fantastic leftovers- using the rest of the bag of pitas (you only need one to include in this recipe to help hold the meatballs together) you’ll find yourself with the ingredients for the perfect sandwich. What could be better?
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- 1½ whole wheat 8” pitas, torn into 1” pieces
- 2 lb. ground lamb
- 1½ cups minced parsley
- ¾ cup minced mint
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 9 cloves garlic, 6 minced, 3 peeled and crushed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 (28-oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1½ tablespoons harissa
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup canola oil
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup roughly chopped basil
- 8 cups baby arugula
- 16 cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- Combine milk and pita in a bowl; let sit until bread is soft, about 5 minutes. Add lamb, 1 cup of the parsley, the mint, oregano, ¼ of the minced garlic, salt, and pepper; mix to combine and divide into thirty-six 1-oz. balls.
- Heat half the olive oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook meatballs until browned, 4–6 minutes. Transfer to a plate; set aside.
- Add remaining olive oil to pan; return to medium-high heat. Cook crushed garlic until golden, 1–2 minutes. Add tomatoes, harissa, salt, and pepper; simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, 5–7 minutes. Add reserved meatballs; cook, covered, until meatballs are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Whisk remaining minced garlic, the egg yolks, salt, and pepper in a bowl; while whisking, drizzle in canola oil until aïoli is emulsified. Whisk in yogurt and lemon juice; drizzle aïoli over meatballs. Garnish with remaining parsley and the basil; serve with arugula and tomatoes.
Notes
From Saveur May 2014
