Spicy(ish) Lamb Meatballs for the Whole Family

A tasty and warm if not excessively spicy dish which could even be finger food if you're feeling brave (and have your surfaces covered!)

If you're cooking just for kids who really like spicy food or adults, I'd up the harissa to 1tsp, perhaps 2 if you're really feeling the burn!  Or alternatively add a bit of extra harissa or chilli sauce in at the table.

Lamb Meatballs - Made enough for 2 adults and 1 toddler but there was loads left over for the freezer.

Ingredients

600g, 21oz Lamb Mince (ground lamb)
1 Courgette (zucchini)
1 clove of garlic, finely grated or crushed
1 tsp ground dried coriander (powdered / ground cilantro seeds)
Pinch ground cinnamon
1 tsp olive oil for cooking

Sauce

1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
500g, 18oz Passata (sieved tomatoes)
1/2 tsp crushed cumin seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp harissa paste

For the couscous

100g, 3.5oz easy cook couscous
1 tin of chickpeas, ready cooked (drained weight 240g, 8oz)
Mint, parsley and coriander to taste
1 tsp white wine vinegar

Method

Grate the courgette (zucchini) and mix with the lamb, grated garlic, coriander and cinnamon.  Form into small balls a bit smaller than a walnut.  Heat a frying pan and put in the oil.  Fry the meatballs in batches until browning.

While you're browning the meatballs, heat the oil for the sauce in a large saucepan and add the garlic.  Cook for a couple of minutes then add in the pasatta, cumin, paprika and harissa and mix and leave over a low heat.

As each batch of meatballs is browned, put into the saucepan.  Do this gently because they're quite fragile until they're cooked.

Once all of the balls are in, slip on a lid then bring to a simmer.  Cook for 30 minutes or so, taking the lid off towards the end of cooking to reduce the sauce (but this does end up pretty saucy.)

While the meatballs are cooking, 10 minutes towards the end of cooking time, make up the couscous following pack instructions and heat the chickpeas following pack instructions.  Drain the chickpeas and add to the cooked couscous with the vinegar and about a tsp each of chopped mint, parsley and coriander or as much or little of them as you fancy.

If you would like to make this gluten free, why not serve with quinoa?

Serve.

My (nearly) 3 year old said it was "yummy" when he saw it bubbling in the pan and seemed to enjoy it.

I've entered this into the Bangers and Mash spice trail on cinnamon: