Meatballs chez Jill

Beef meatballs chezJill

A delicious recipe with different ingredients and spices which will throw out your classic meatballs recipe. Created at my friend's place, Jill in Melbourne. She was the chef and I was just helping, talking and filling in the glasses !

For four:

Ingredients for the sauce :

5 tbsp Olive oil
350g brown lentils 
500ml vegetable or beef stock
4 whole thyme sprigs
6 garlic cloves, sliced
8 spring onions cut into small segments (if you don’t have spring onions 
you can use a small leek)
2 ½ tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Ingredients for meatballs:

300g minced beef
150g minced lamb
1 medium onion finely chopped
120g breadcrumbs
2 tbsp each chopped flat leaf parsley, mint, dill and coriander 
plus 1/2tbsp extra of each to finish the dish.
2 large garlic cloves crushed
1 tbps baharat spice mix (shop-bought or see recipe)
1tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp capers, chopped
1 beaten egg

Method:

1. Wear your best apron :)
2. Place all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl, add salt and pepper and mix well with your hands.
   
3. Form into balls about the same size as a Ping-Pong balls.
   
4. Heat 1 tbsp Olive oil in a big frying pan for which you have a lid
   
5. Sear half the meatballs over a medium heat, turning them until they are brown all over, (should be fine about 5minutes)
   
6. Remove, add another Olive oil to the pan and cook the other batch of meatballs.
   
7. Remove from the pan and set aside.
   
8. While the meatballs are cooking throw the lentils into a pot with plenty of water and begin to cook for 15-18minutes.
   
9. Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan in which you seared the meatballs.
   
10. Add thyme, garlic and spring onion and cook over a medium heat for 4 minutes.
    
11. Add the lentil and the lemon juice, 100ml of the stock, salt and pepper. The lentils should be almost covered with liquid.
    
12. Cover the pan and cook over a low heat for 15-18 minutes.
    
13. Return the meatballs to the pan with the lentils.
    
14. Add the remaining stock, cover the pan and simmer gently for 25 minutes.
    
15. Taste the sauce and adjust salt and pepper.
    

You can leave the meatballs now, off the heat, until ready to serve.
If it is too runny, remove the lid and reduce a little.

Once the meatballs stop cooking they will soak up a lot of the juices so make sure there is still plenty of sauce.

Just before serving, reheat the meatballs and add a little water if necessary.

Add the remaining herbs and lemon juice, stir – serve with any green veggies you fancy

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