Lamb and Apricot Meatballs

Ingredients

• 2 tbspolive oil
• 2red onions, finely chopped
• 4 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 2 tspground cumin
• 2 tspground coriander
• 14 ozcanned tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 tspsugar
• 2 1/2 tbspmint, fresh, finely chopped
• 1 1/8 lbground lamb
• 8dried apricots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cupbreadcrumbs
• 4pita bread, to serve

Method

1. 1

   Heat 2 tsp of the olive oil in a pan and soften the chopped red onions for 5 minutes.

2. 2

   Stir in the garlic, the cumin and the ground coriander and cook for a few minutes more, until the pan smells of the spices rather than of raw garlic.

3. 3

   Spoon half the spiced onions into a bowl and leave them to cool. This half becomes the meatballs, so it must not go into the sauce.

4. 4

   Add the canned tomatoes, the sugar and seasoning to the onions still in the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and darkened.

5. 5

   Add the chopped mint, the ground lamb, the chopped apricots and the breadcrumbs to the cooled onions, season, and work it together with your hands. Roll it into small meatballs.

6. 6

   Heat the rest of the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the meatballs until browned all over, in batches so they sear rather than steam.

7. 7

   Pour the tomato sauce in with a splash of water and cook everything gently together for a few minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve with warm pita and salad.

Nutrition per serving