Lamb Meat Balls

Lamb has a unique flavor that we happen to love- but it's on the expensive side so we don't buy it all the time.  When we do, we always get ground lamb because it's just easier not to screw up that way.  It's great in chili or shepherd's pie, but it's also delicious in the form of meatballs where you can taste the full flavor.  I rolled these up with some herbs and seasonings and then baked them to guarantee even cooking.  We served them over rice and a slightly sweet roasted vegetable stew and it was a perfect combination.  They would also be good inside pita or as an appetizer with some yogurt dipping sauce.  

Ingredients:

1 lb ground lamb

2 cloves garlic, minced (we ran out of garlic so I had to use garlic powder as seen in the pics but I would never recommend this over the real thing!)

3 tablespoons grated onion

1/2 teaspoon crushed fenugreek (this is an Indian spice that can be hard to find... you could substitute curry powder for some added flavor but they aren't really the same)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 egg

2 tablespoons chopped mint

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.   Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands.  

Form into equally sized balls or ovals.  I kept mine pretty large but you can do them smaller if serving for appetizers- just adjust the cooking time.  

Place them in a baking dish and bake for about 40 minutes or until completely cooked through.  Because this time varies depending on the size of your meatballs and the real temperature of your oven, start checking them at closer to 30 minutes if they look done.  Very small-sized meatballs might only take 20 minutes.  Remove from oven when done, and immediately remove the meatballs from the dish.  They will have released a lot of fat and you don't want that to stick to them when you are serving. As I said above, there are many ways to serve these- choose your favorite and enjoy!

Sunday Chilli

Chilli is great in the winter because it is warm, hearty, delicious, and easy to make for a crowd.  It was an obvious choice this past weekend for Sunday football.  We always wing it when we're making chilli, just using whatever we have on hand and trying out new ideas here and there.  This one has a few unique flavors - a combination of ground lamb and ground beef, chipotles in adobo, and brewed coffee.  It adds complex flavor to the chilli without any one ingredient standing out more than the others.  The recipe made about 10 servings and we had it with rice to mellow out the spiciness.  It was so good that I think this chilli recipe is here to stay!

Ingredients:

2 T vegetable oil

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground chilli

1 large onion, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

2 jalapenos (including seeds if you want it spicier), finely diced

2 chipotles in adobo sauce, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T hot (or regular) chile powder

1 t ground cumin

1 t ground coriander 

1/2 t smoked paprika

1 T ground Mexican oregano 

1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 cup strongly brewed coffee

4-5 cups chicken broth

1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 14 oz can red kidney beans

1 14 oz can black beans

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high.  Brown meat, breaking it up as it cooks.  Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper to the meat as it cooks. 

When the meat is done browning, drain it into a bowl.  Spoon out some of the remaining fat until there is only about 3 T remaining in the pot.  Over medium heat, saute the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno for about 8-10 minutes or until softened.  Sprinkle some salt and pepper in as the vegetables cook.  Add the garlic, chipotles in adobo, and spices/herbs and cook 2 minutes longer.

Add the meat back into the pot.  Pour in the crushed tomatoes, coffee, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes.  Drain the beans and add them to the pot and stir well to combine.  Simmer for at least 30 minutes or for several hours covered.  If you want to reduce the consistency of the chilli, simmer it with the top off until it is as thick as you like.  

Taste it to see if you need to add more salt and pepper.  Serve over rice (optional) with sour cream and grated cheddar cheese.  Yum!