Kofta Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Cherry Sauce Recipe

Kofta Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Cherry Sauce

Servings: 8-10 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes

Feel free to sub the lamb with ground meat of your choice.

Ingredients:

For the Cherry Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, chopped (or 2 tablespoons diced red onion)
1 cup dried cherries
3 teaspoons honey
splash of Brandy (optional)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Meatballs
1 pound ground lamb
1/4 cup sparkling water
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon allspice
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

To make the Cherry Sauce

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and shallot and saute until tender. Add the cherries, honey, lemon juice, water and cinnamon and bring mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the mint.

To make the Meatballs
Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large mixing bowl, add the ground lamb, sparkling water, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, salt and pepper. Mix lightly to incorporate all ingredients. Form mixture into small meatballs.

In a large frying pan over medium high, add olive oil. Add meatballs and fry, turning often to brown all over, about 5-7 minutes. You might have to cook meatballs in batches if your pan is too small. After browning all the meatballs, place meatballs on a baking sheet and bake in oven for 10 minutes to cook through. Drizzle with the cherry sauce just before serving.

Source: steamykitchen.com