Lamb Meatballs

Wolfgang Puck's Lamb Meatballs

 I served these lamb meatballs along with lentil soup for my nephew's wedding shower because he loves lamb. I decided to use the extra meatballs as an appetizer at Easter. I put them in a store bought vodka pasta sauce and heated them in a mini crock-pot. They would also work well as a spaghetti and meatball dish.

My nephew the "lamb lover" and his future bride

 Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (see link below for instructions on how to make your own)
1/4 cup milk
1 pound ground lamb
1 cup blanched almonds, toasted and ground (I used sliced almonds, and more like 3/4 cup. Methods for toasting almonds listed below.)
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup raisins, coarsely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 tsp. chili pepper flakes
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. salt (recipe says to taste...how can you taste raw meat???)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Fresh Breadcrumbs
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/BreadCrumbs.htm

Toasting Almonds                                                                             

1. Saucepan method:
2. Place almonds in a heavy, ungreased skillet.                                
3. Stir often over medium heat until golden brown.
4. Oven method:
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Spread nuts in one layer on ungreased shallow baking pan.
7. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. 

 I combined the methods for toasting the almonds, along with drying out my bread for the bread crumbs, in order to save time.

Directions
Prepare toasted almonds and fresh bread crumbs. 

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F
In a small bowl, soak bread crumbs in milk. In a mixing bowl, combine the lamb, almonds, soaked bread crumbs, onion, raisins, egg, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and chili pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle olive oil on the cookie sheet you will place the meatballs on and rub oil into the palm of both hands as needed to form the meatballs. Form meat mixture into 40 golf ball-sized meatballs, each approximately 1-inch in diameter.

 

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Arrange the meatballs in 1 layer in the pan, quickly sear meatballs over high heat, and then place in the oven. Cook until the meatballs are well browned and firm to the touch. (10 to 15 minutes)

Hand made paper tulips arranged with fresh Gerber daisies

The wedding venue is a barn, so I decided to go with a barn type theme for the shower. The print-outs and instructions on how to make the flowers and pinwheel stars are from the link below under "freebies".

 

 

Congratulations Jake and Kathryn! May God bless you with many years of wedded bliss!










http://www.elli.com/blog/fabulous-freebies/