Joan Nathan's Lamb Balls with Cherries

This recipe is from my very dear friend Joan Nathan.

I made this for her book launching party for  King Solomon’s Table. Everyone raved. 

It has become a staple for me for serving as a nibble at dinner parties. I make double the meat balls needed and freeze and I also double the sauce and then freeze it, so I am always ready to entertain.

½ cup pine nuts

1 large sweet onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds ground lamb 

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon ground Aleppo or Marash pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate

2 teaspoons tomato paste or ketchup

½ cups breadcrumbs - I use Gluten free

Sauce:

¼ cups olive oil

1 ½ onions, diced 

1 ½ tablespoons tamarind concentrate

2 cups pitted sour cherries or frozen dark red cherries

2 cups dried cherries

Juice of 2 lemons

1 ½ teaspoons ground Kitchen Porch raz el hanout ( combination of ginger, cloves, allspice cinnamon and cumin)  if you don’t have combine ½ ginger or cinnamon and ½ allspice 

Salt and pepper

1 ½ cups  beef stock

1 ½ cups red wine

2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and toast the pine nuts by stirring often, in a small dry skillet over medium heat, until lightly brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove to a medium bowl.

To make the meatballs Saute the onions in the oil in a nonstick frying pan until lightly caramelized, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Add the onions to the pine nuts, then add the ground beef, garlic, Aleppo or Marash pepper, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Break the eggs into the bowl and stir in the tamarins and tomato paste or ketchup, mixing gently with your hands until just combined, then add just enough breadcrumbs for the meat to become clammy.

Take about 1 ½ tablespoons of meat and slap the meat several times into the center of the palm of your hand to emulsify. Shape into small, about 1 ½  inches in diameter. Put on two rimmed baking sheets and bake for about 20 minutes, or until one but still juicy. You should get about 36 meatballs

While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until transparent, then add the tamarind, pitted sour or frozen cherries, fried cherries, lemon juice, allspice, salt, pepper, beef stock and wine. Simmer together for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Here, I place the mixture in a food processor and blend until smooth, but you can do as Joan does and keep the sauce chunky.

Mix the meatballs with the sauce and serve, sprinkles with chopped parsley or cilantro, over rice. 

And these are wonderful as an hors d’oeuvres!

Find more lamb recipes here.