Name: Lamb meatballs with barberries, yoghurt & herbs
Yield: Serves 6 makes about 30 meatballs
Cuisine: Israel
Ingredients: 60 g barberries; 3 tbsp of mixed mint, coriander, dill and tarragon, torn roughly; salt and black pepper; ¾ tsp ground cinnamon; ¾ tsp ground allspice; 200 ml white wine; 2 tsp sugar; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 150 g dried figs; 20 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 200 g Greek yoghurt; 700 g banana shallots, peeled; 2 thyme sprigs; 2 bay leaves; 500 ml chicken stock; 2 medium onions, finely chopped; 750 g minced lamb; 1 medium free-range egg; 100 ml sunflower oil

Preparation info

Serves
6
makes about 30 meatballs

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Jerusalem

By Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Published 2012

About

The sweet and sour flavours of these meatballs are prominent yet tempered by the yoghurt, making this a very soothing main course, best served with couscous or rice. Barberries — small dried sour berries — are available online or from Middle Eastern and Iranian grocers. They can be substituted with cranberries. The figs get quite soggy through the long cooking but are essential for the flavour they add. You can remove and discard them at the end if you wish.