Mediterranean Meatballs with Olives, Feta and Mint
Photography by Sarah Tuck.
These meatballs are rich with the sunny flavours of the Med – mint, oregano, olives, lemon and feta. They are fabulous slathered with creamy yoghurt mayo with the crunch of red onion, fresh mint and briney olives on the side.
Serves: 6–8
INGREDIENTS
Meatballs
3 slices white toast bread, crusts removed
¼ cup milk
½ red onion, roughly chopped
1 kilogram lamb mince
½ cup parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
⅓ cup chopped mint
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
200 grams feta, roughly chopped
1 egg
½ cup pine nuts
⅔ cup roughly chopped black olives (buy ones with stones for more flavour)
rice bran or light olive oil spray
Dressing
⅔ cup whole egg mayonnaise
⅔ cup Greek yoghurt
To serve
Turkish bread
1½ cups cherry tomatoes, sliced
½ cucumber, sliced
½ red onion, finely sliced
¼ cup mint leaves
⅔ cup black olives
METHOD
Meatballs: Soak the bread slices in milk for 10 minutes. Put the onion in a food processor and whiz to a paste. Add the lamb, parsley, oregano, garlic, chilli, mint, lemon and half the feta.
Squeeze the bread gently to remove any excess milk and add to the mixture with the egg. Pulse to combine, then tip out into a large bowl. Add the pine nuts, olives and remaining feta, crumbled.
Mix to combine and roll into 34–36 golf ball-sized balls. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 6 hours.
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Spray the balls very lightly with oil. Cook for 20–24 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Dressing: While the balls are cooking, mix the yoghurt and mayonnaise to create a creamy dressing.
To serve: Serve the balls with warm Turkish bread (or your favourite wraps or flat breads), tomatoes, cucumber, a drizzle of dressing and a sprinkling of red onion and mint, with olives on the side.
Sarah Tuck
Sarah Tuck is a food writer and photographer based in Auckland. For more recipe ideas and cooking inspiration, visit her beautifully photographed blog, From the Kitchen. To read a little more about her and find out how From The Kitchen began, click here to read our story on her.
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