Look out spaghetti, mutabbal’s the new sheriff in meatball town
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The idea of this recipe came to me on a restless night. Mutabbal … mutabbal … meat-a-balls. Many meatballs are made with a panade, often a mixture of white bread soaked in milk, which lends moisture to the final meatballs. For these lamb meatballs, I decided to make my panade out of ingredients that felt more in-line with the mutabbal I was serving them with. I ended up using a mixture of leftover pita bread and labneh (drained yogurt). The resulting meatballs were moist, herby, spiced, seasoned, spicy and just a joy to eat. I had my local butcher in Glendale grind the lamb for me — don’t be shy to ask your butcher to do the same! And as you prepare your meatballs, I encourage you to keep economy of motion in mind, as the meatball making process could easily become messy and overwhelming. This recipe also calls for one batch of my famous mutabbal, so take that into account as you shop and plan your cooking. If eggplants are out of season or you don’t want to make mutabbal, these meatballs are also great with the labneh drizzle, harissa and a squeeze of lime, or tucked into a pita with hummus and toum.
Mutabbal and meatballs
To make the panade, combine the pita bread, labneh, egg, cilantro, onion, garlic, salt, lemon zest, paprika, sumac, za’atar, Aleppo pepper (if using), black pepper, ground cumin and ground coriander in a large bowl and mix until well incorporated. Next, add the ground lamb and gently fold the panade into the meat until the mixture is homogeneous, being careful not to over mix. If you want to taste your mixture before you roll out all of your meatballs, pinch off a small piece, fry it up in a pan, give it a taste and adjust the mixture to your taste with more salt or spices.
Set up an assembly line with your meatball mixture on one end, followed by an empty baking sheet, then a medium-sized bowl with the flour and finally another empty baking sheet. Using a 1-ounce ice cream scoop, portion all of your meatballs onto the first empty baking sheet. Then, gently roll each ball into a neat sphere, being careful not to overwork and wetting your hands with water if the mixture is sticking to them. Finally, coat one meatball at a time in flour, gently knocking any excess back into the bowl and reforming the meatballs if necessary. Place floured meatballs on the empty baking sheet as you finish them.
Next, pour the oil into a large skillet (the oil should come up about ¼ to ⅓ of the way up the pan), and place it over medium heat. While the oil heats, set up an assembly line for frying, placing the baking sheet of prepared meatballs on one side of the frying pan, and a baking sheet lined with paper towels (for the cooked meatballs) on the other side of the pan. When the oil is hot (you can test with a little piece of meat nipped off a larger meatball — it should bubble when it touches the pan, but not too aggressively).
Fry your meatballs in batches. Thinking of the frying pan as a clock, place the first meatball at 12 o’clock, and add the rest in, one by one, moving clockwise along the outside edge of the pan until you reach the first meatball. Repeat in the same direction in the center of the pan being careful not to overcrowd it. Once the undersides are a deep golden brown, flip the meatballs in the same order you placed them in the pan, and fry the second side until deep golden brown. Remove your first meatball and cut it in half to make sure it is cooked through. If it is, eat it. If it’s not, lower the heat, and try again in a couple minutes. Remove the cooked meatballs to your final baking sheet and repeat the process with the rest of the meatballs.
To make the labneh drizzle, combine labneh, water, lemon zest and juice, cilantro, mint, salt, garlic and olive oil in a medium bowl. Mix well to combine, then taste. Adjust as needed with salt, lemon, water and herbs, until it is bright and delicious and the texture is thin enough to drizzle easily.
To assemble your mutabbal and meatballs, shmear the mutabbal over the bottom of a large platter and fill the center of the platter with half of your labneh drizzle. Top with meatballs, the rest of the labneh drizzle, the harissa (if using) and garnish generously with sprigs of cilantro. Enjoy!
