Turkish Spiced Meatballs With Pomegranate Yogurt Sauce

Serves: 5

Aurelia Collier

1 January 1970

Based on User reviews:

39

Spice

53

Sweetness

53

Sourness

42

mins

Prep time (avg)

5.3

Difficulty

Ingredients:

1 small

Onion (chopped)

2 tbsps

Olive Oil

Directions:

1

Make Sauce: Put yogurt in a paper towel-lined sieve set over a bowl and keep covered and chilled 8 to 12 hours

2

Boil pomegranate juice in a small heavy saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes

3

Keep warm off heat, covered

4

Put yogurt in a paper towel-lined sieve set over a bowl and keep covered and chilled 8 to 12 hours

5

Boil pomegranate juice in a small heavy saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes

6

Keep warm off heat, covered

7

Make Meatballs: Soak whole slices of bread for 30 minutes in a mixing bowl filled with water, then fold and squeeze gently to remove as much water as possible

8

Pulse onion in a food processor until finely chopped, then add parsley and pulse again until finely chopped

9

Add lamb, bread (torn into pieces), allspice, red-pepper flakes, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pulse, stopping and scraping down sides, until combined

10

(Do not overblend

11

) Roll level tablespoons of meat mixture into balls (about 42), arranging them on plates or on another sheet pan

12

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle

13

Line a large, rimmed sheet pan with foil

14

Heat olive oil and vegetable oil together in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until oils shimmer (put one meatball in to test; it should sizzle)

15

Brown meatballs all over in batches of 10 to 12, turning occasionally with a spoon or shaking skillet (lower heat if oil begins to smoke), about 2 minutes per batch

16

Transfer, as browned, to lined sheet pan

17

Once all meatballs are browned, transfer the sheet pan to the oven and bake until meatballs are cooked through (cut one open to look, or use an instant-read thermometer; it should register 160°F), 10 to 15 minutes

18

Drain briefly on paper towels

19

Spoon drained yogurt into a small serving bowl and drizzle with pomegranate syrup, then swirl it in briefly with a spoon

20

Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over top

21

Spear each meatball with a toothpick and serve yogurt alongside for dipping

22

Soak whole slices of bread for 30 minutes in a mixing bowl filled with water, then fold and squeeze gently to remove as much water as possible

23

Pulse onion in a food processor until finely chopped, then add parsley and pulse again until finely chopped

24

Add lamb, bread (torn into pieces), allspice, red-pepper flakes, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pulse, stopping and scraping down sides, until combined

25

(Do not overblend

26

) Roll level tablespoons of meat mixture into balls (about 42), arranging them on plates or on another sheet pan

27

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle

28

Line a large, rimmed sheet pan with foil

29

Heat olive oil and vegetable oil together in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until oils shimmer (put one meatball in to test; it should sizzle)

30

Brown meatballs all over in batches of 10 to 12, turning occasionally with a spoon or shaking skillet (lower heat if oil begins to smoke), about 2 minutes per batch

31

Transfer, as browned, to lined sheet pan

32

Once all meatballs are browned, transfer the sheet pan to the oven and bake until meatballs are cooked through (cut one open to look, or use an instant-read thermometer; it should register 160°F), 10 to 15 minutes

33

Drain briefly on paper towels

34

Spoon drained yogurt into a small serving bowl and drizzle with pomegranate syrup, then swirl it in briefly with a spoon

35

Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over top

36

Spear each meatball with a toothpick and serve yogurt alongside for dipping