Baby meatballs with lamb and merguez sausage - the Moroccan kefta type
Meatball recipes are those that your grandmother or aunty pass down to you. It was the first dish I made when I moved out of home. I remember calling my grandmother to ask for her guidance. Since then I have made and eaten numerous meatballs. The Italian polpette type. The Moroccan kefta type. The greek type - I ate a lot of keftedes last summer while in Greece.
Meatballs don’t have the best rep. They are often overlooked as a ‘simple’ weeknight dinner. And yes, they can be a quick meal, but they can also be served as part of a lux couscous feast.
At a recent kitchen residency I worked on at Napier Quarter in Fitzroy, Melbourne, I served baby merguez kefta (essentially meatballs) as part of a ‘couscous royale’ set. The plate of tiny meatballs came with hand rolled couscous and harissa; a bowl of chicken broth with braised vegetables and chickpeas and a plate of grilled lamb cutlets with sauce vierge. So it is your choice which direction to take the meatball recipe below - relaxed meal or lush dinner party energy.
Although there are different ways with meatballs I stand by this formula:
I always use a make up of 80% lean meat and 20% fat - meatballs should be juicy, not dry.
For 500g of meat I add one whole egg - this helps bind the meat together.
I don’t usually add breadcrumbs, but I am not opposed - just not too much (I don’t want a bready meatball) - 1/4 of a cup should be enough and I would use stale bread torn into pieces and left to soften in water for a couple of minutes before being squeezed out and added to the meat.
Fresh green herbs always - parsley and coriander. My grandmother adds dill.
A big squeeze of olive oil, a generous amount of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Above is the basic formula - you could do that and have a delicious meatball. I like to take my meatballs in the direction below as they lean more toward the Moroccan kefta type:
For a fragrant spice combination I almost always add ground cumin and paprika, sometimes baharat.
To give the meatballs more depth, spice and texture I mix in the mince from lamb merguez sausages- a spiced North african sausage. I slit open the sausage and add the mince within to the mixture.
The size of the meatballs are adaptable too. Lately I like to make baby sized meatballs - about 15g each. They are very cute like this.
So many directions for the meatball sauce too. Tomato and garlic. Tomato, onion and cumin. Onion fried with butter, turmeric, cinnamon, lemon and chicken stock. I like to poach the meatballs in a brothy sauce so the meat soaks up extra flavour.
Steamed couscous or larger pearl couscous or rice makes a good bed for the meatballs and extra sauce.
The recipe below is one way I like to make meatballs - in a sauce made of onions braised in butter with ras el hanout spice and chicken stock (you can purchase ras el hanout at specialty delis, mediterranean or middle eastern grocery stores).
Baby meatballs with lamb and merguez mince
For the meatballs -
300g lamb mince
200g merguez sausages (with the tip of a sharp knife slice the sausage end to to end, pull back the casing and use the mince within. Discard the sausage casing.)
1 red onion, grated
1 egg
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
2 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 ½ tsp flaky salt
½ tsp cinnamon
½ bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped
½ bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
A glug of olive oil (about 2 tbsp)
For the sauce -
40g butter
2 onions, finely chopped
½ cup chicken stock
1 tsp ras el hanout
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp sweet paprika
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp turmeric
Small cinnamon stick
Flaky salt to taste
This recipe makes around 40 tiny meatballs. Should be enough for four people with either steamed couscous, pearl couscous or rice and a large bowl of dressed leaves.
In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients for the meatballs very well so the meat takes on a deep red colour with flecks of green herbs.
Roll the mixture into little cherry sized balls, about 15g each and set aside.
To make the sauce, place a large heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat and melt the butter along with a squeeze of olive oil. Add in the onions and fry until they are starting to take on a golden colour and have softened. About 10 minutes.
Add the spices to the onions and toast them for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Season with flaky salt.
Place the meatballs into the pan with the onions one by one until they all fit snuggly over the onions. Pour in the chicken stock, turn up the heat and bring to a vigorous simmer for a minute or so before turning the heat down and bringing to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the meatballs are cooked through completely - this should take around 15 minutes.
Serve with a little olive oil over the top of the meatballs, and eat with either steamed couscous, pearl couscous or rice. Or for a more luxe leaning dinner party menu, serve the meatballs as part of a bigger feast with couscous with braised vegetables and chickpeas in broth, lamb cutlets with green sauce, and a well dressed lettuce salad (recipes for all of these additions in my cookbook which you can purchase here).
