Herbed Rice Meatballs with Lemon Tomato Sauce
Rated 4.0 stars by 3 users
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ cup basmati rice (soaked 20 min, rinsed 3x)
- 2 eggs
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ cup cilantro, ¼ cup mint, ½ cup parsley (all finely chopped)
- ½ tsp turmeric, ⅛ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander (all from @laboiteny )
- 1½ tsp kosher salt + black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tsp ground coriander, ¼ tsp turmeric
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp preserved lemon rind, rinsed and chopped
- 1½ cups mixed cilantro and mint
Meatballs:
Sauce:
Directions
- In a bowl, add the ground meat, chopped onions, 3 cloves of garlic, soaked and drained rice, 2 eggs, chopped parsley, chopped cilantro, chopped mint, ground cinnamon, turmeric, ground coriander and cumin, and season with the kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Mix well and then roll into small balls. Should make around 14-16.
- Heat a large pot with 2 tablespoons of evoo and add in half the balls. Season the tops with more salt and pepper and sear all over until lightly golden. Remove and do the second batch. After all the balls are golden, remove them and keep to the side.
- In the same pot, add in the chopped onion and sear until translucent and lightly golden on the edges. Add in the ground coriander, turmeric and the garlic. Season with salt and pepper and add in the tomato paste. Sauté until the paste turns a little brown and then add in the crushed San Marzano tomatoes and then two full cans of water (just use the San Marzano tomato can as the measurement, so two of those). Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes. Check for seasoning. It will need salt so give it a good pinch.
- Add in the balls and let simmer on medium-low for 35-40 minutes. Add in the preserved lemon and all the herbs and simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve as is!