Ainsley's Lamb Meatballs In Tomato Sauce With Casablanca Couscou

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 4 medium slice bread, crusts removed
• milk, for soaking
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 table spoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 500 g ground lamb
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander
• 1/2 grated unwaxed lemon, zest of
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, for frying
• salt ground pepper
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• o-g jar passata
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 250 g couscous
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 50 g raisins
• 50 g toasted pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Recipe

• 1 sauce:.
• 2 heat the oil in an oven proof pan over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook until just beginning to turn golden at the edges.
• 3 add the passata cinnamon sugar and bay leaves and season bring to the boil.
• 4 reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
• 5 meatballs:.
• 6 preheat oven to 200c/400f/gas mark 6.
• 7 soak the bread in milk and gently squeeze out until dry.
• 8 whiz the onion and garlic in a food processor with the cumin and ground coriander, add the lamb fresh coriander lemon zest bread and beaten egg and season with salt and plenty of pepper. mix again until well combined.
• 9 using wet hands roll the lamb mixture into 24 walnut sized balls.
• 10 heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan and add half the meatballs, fry over a medium high heat until brown all over
• 11 remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and fry the remaining meatballs adding more oil if needed.
• 12 add all of the meatballs into the tomato sauce and place on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes while you prepare the couscous.
• 13 cous cous:.
• 14 bring 400ml salted water to the boil in a medium sauce pan. add the couscous and stir well then cover with a lid remove from the heat and leave for 5 minutes.
• 15 fluff the couscous with a fork and then add lemon juice oil raisins and pine nuts. season, scatter with the parsley and serve immediately with the meatballs in tomato sauce.