Baked Meatballs…….
Admin on Feb 09 2010 at 11:58 pm | Filed under: Food, Food, Photographs, Savoury
Hi there everyone!
Well the Arabic is going “B’shwiya b’shwiya” – slowly, slowly! Two weeks is only just enough to get the very basics of the language but I am pleased I have done this and will hopefully continue to learn! Secretly my main aim is just to become a better negotiator in the souks so I can get some more of these on a limited budget………
I found some wonderful fresh chard this week as well as a very rare find of some buffalo milk mozzarella!!
We usually only get the small leaf spinach variety here so I was really pleased to find this as it reminded me more of the spinach we are used to back home. I mixed up the chard in these meatballs to add some extra veggies to the kids favourite meal!
Baked Meatballs with Spinach
1 bunch Swiss chard, stalks removed and finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
400g lean mince meat
1 egg
3 Tbs flour
¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese and a bit extra for the topping
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and black pepper
1 ball mozzarella
1 x 400g Ready to use Tomato Sauce (a bit lazy I know, but you can use a homemade sauce!)
Dried oregano
Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and lightly sauté the onions for a few minutes until they are translucent, take care that they do not brown. Add the garlic and chard and gently cook until the chard has wilted. Set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, mash together the mince, egg, flour, parmesan cheese, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Add the spinach and onion mixture mix well. The best way to do this is with your hands. If you don’t blend it all together well enough the meatballs will separate. If you find the mixture is too sticky, add another spoon of flour. Place in the fridge to cool for a bit. Remove and roll into balls about the size of a golf ball.
Heat another spoon of olive oil in the pan and add the tomato sauce. Add some oregano and season to taste and heat the sauce through.
Ladle a few spoonfuls onto the base of an ovenproof dish. Place the meatballs onto the sauce and ladle the rest of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, mozzarella, some oregano and black pepper.
Bake for about 20 minutes.
Serve with some pasta and a green salad.
This made 20 meatballs.
Your pictures represent a lovely meal!!! Good for you for learning Arabic. Keep persevering!
love your blog…I feel as though I’m on vacation looking out my window onto a perfect day. I hope you don’t mind my suggestion but next time you make meatballs try bread crumbs soaked in milk or water(this will prevent the breadcrumbs from absorbing moisture from the meat) And add the mozzarella when the meatballs are cooked (turn off the oven and wait for the cheese to melt) meat balls are a Sunday ritual in our house.
Sneaky sneaky with the spinach! Looks amazing though – I’m sure your kids gobbled it up.
Your food sound really delicious.Thank you for sharing and for your recipe!
For some reason I’ve had a meatball craving lately… Clearly your recipe is a sign that I need to act on that craving!! Gorgeous pics and well done you with the Arabic