Day 46: Lamb meatballs

Another Monday, only this evening, after work, I had to make a mad dash around the supermarket en route home seeing as I didn’t get the food shopping done on Saturday. Honestly, am I the only one who suffers from slight shopping rage at times?! There I am legging it in the door with the trolley, totally focused, game plan agreed in my head i.e. mental shopping list mapped up to the different areas of the store and it seems that a Monday evening is when a lot of people decide to do their food shopping – a lot! Now, just in case my Mammy is reading this, don’t get me wrong – I am the epitome of good manners; I always give way, wait my turn etc. etc. etc. but you know when some people decide to go up and down the aisles almost sideways so as to maximise the area they take up and minimise yours? Well, that does not figure in my game plan and thus increases the time which takes me to shop - precious time that I never seem to have enough of.

I also have to say this, as in case you are under some sort of illusion (as some of you are) that my life is absolutely perfect and with the blog and cooking all these different dishes every day and everything is all so perfectly easy, it’s not. Just want to dispel that myth right now. For most people I know, life is hectic and mine is no different. Factor in two young children and it's even more hectic but I wouldn’t change it for a second. The reality is that I, like the everyone else, try to do my best and, although I have an ideal in my head of the way I want things to be or the way they should be, I think those ideals are something which aren’t exactly within my grasp right now and maybe they never will be. But, at the end of the day, we all get out of bed every morning and get on with it. Remember my saying – suck it up and get on with it?!

Ok, rant over and back to the focus of this Challenge…

I decided to make Lamb meatballs this evening purely because I hadn’t used my fancy wee cocktail sticks in about two months. I first saw them on an episode of one of Nigella Lawson’s cookery programmes and, after a bit of research courtesy of the good old Internet, I eventually found them on the Lakeland website (www.lakeland.co.uk and then type in 41071 in the search box). I always use them for cocktail sausages for parties or even if I’m simply making lamb meatballs for Dear Husband and Dear Son.

So, for the meatballs, I grated lemon zest into a bowl along with chopped garlic, a grated onion, cardamom seeds and seasoning. I then added in the minced lamb and squished it all together (with my latex gloves, of course!). I then rolled the mixture into tiny balls – about the size of a walnut shell before frying them for about 12 minutes. While they were cooking, I made the sauce which consisted of natural Greek yoghurt, turmeric, lemon juice and diced cucumber. Then, I just served it all up and put my fancy cocktail sticks on the meatballs.

The verdict…

Dear Husband gave the dish 9 marks out of 10 and Dear Son gave them 10 out of 10 – yay! Although I suspect that Dear Husband told Dear Son to tell me that! Regardless, both ate them and, even better, Baby Daughter was happy to munch away on one. The recipe was very easy and the only tedious part is rolling the mixture into tiny balls. Other than that, it’s quick. I did taste the sauce and it was nice with the turmeric which I have learned is native to South Asia and belongs to the ginger family so it’s hot, peppery with a mustardy smell.

Lamb meatballs have been a staple in our house for quite a number of years since I first used one of Rachel’s lamb meatball recipes from one of her other books so I’ll definitely make this version again. Lamb really is a popular meat with children so it’s an all-round family pleaser when it’s clearly enjoyed by my three and it’s not often that happens. Now, if only everything I make could be enjoyed by all three, I really would be getting to some sort of culinary perfection in this house...