Meatballs with Cumin and Cracked Green Olives

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Preparation info
  • Serves

    Four

    • Difficulty

      Medium

Appears in
The Complete Guide to Traditional Jewish Cooking

By Marlena Spieler

Published 2016

  • About

A delicious dish that probably originated with the Greeks who came from a sia minor after the catastrophic war with Turkey in 1922. The spicing of cumin reflects the sephardic Jews who settled in Thessalonika, Greece. This dish is ideal for entertaining as it can be cooked in advance and reheated as needed.

Ingredients

  • 2–3 medium slices of bread, crusts removed
  • 675 g/ lb minced (ground) lamb

Method

  1. Soak the bread in water for 10 minutes, then drain, squeeze dry and place in a large bowl. Add the meat, garlic, cumin and egg. Season with salt and pepper, then mix either with a fork or your hands, until blended.
  2. Take a small handful – the size of a large walnut – and roll it into a short, slim sausage. Set this aside. Continue until all the meat mixture has