RECIPE: Regular Easy to Chew, Level 7- Lamb and Barberry Meatballs

These plump and juicy little delights will bring a mouthwatering surprise to your next dinner.. 😋🥰

This was by far one of the most rewarding little experiments I've done for this blog. I was a little bit nervous about using dried fruits and nuts but even more scared of excluding them from my bright idea. These Lamb and Barberry Meatballs were an absolute treat when I finally got it right 🥳

Ironically, this started as a turkey and cranberry combination idea and gradually turned into a Middle Eastern cum European inspired flavour with turkey.. So I decided to get back into the kitchen, try again and swap the turkey out for lamb. And what a great idea that turned out to be...

Now, I love me some pine nuts but don't I know what nuts can do to a person with dysphagia.. my solution? Grind them to a meal. I like to use the old mortar and pestle but you can use anything from an old sauce jar to a rolling pin to grind them down and smooth them out. Be careful that you don't have any "bits" that slip through your process because they will fall apart from the meatball. It's a nice way to get that rich nutty flavour and oily texture through the meat!

For similar reasons, I wanted to go with dried and ground onion and garlic to have a cohesive texture and avoid chunky pieces falling out of the meatball. I wanted a strong deep flavour but with minimal content or material. It was also easier to spread the flavour through the mince when combining rather than hoping that every meatball got a little piece of garlic and adequate onion.

Barberries were an absolute choice. As I said earlier, I played with the idea of cranberries but I was a bit concerned that they would be too chunky and chewy and therefore cause a choking risk of stick around in someone's throat. Barberries are a much more subtle texture, more like a deflated little balloon but with a tangy BITE 😬 It's a berry that features a lot in middle eastern and/or Persian cuisine and so I thought it would compliment that lamb very well... and I was right, if I may say so myself 😏 I found that I barely noticed their texture in the meatball but could certainly taste their flavour- win, win.

With all these additions to the mince- ground pine nuts, powders and berries, I was very conscious that it might suck all the juice out of the meatball, especially in the oven. Having been down the meatball path many times in my life, I knew that adding liquid of some kind was going to get me to where I needed to go. In the past I've used the inside of tomatoes and lemon juice but I felt that was taking me from the middle east to the mediterranean and that is a recipe for another day. Instead, I decided to keep it simple and add water and let the other flavours emulsify and speak for themselves, and I think it worked.

I also chose to bake the meatballs covered in alfoil for a good half of the cooking time to make sure that the moisture didn't evaporate in the oven. It meant that they looked a bit wet and miserable when I removed the alfoil but the second half of the baking process had them turn a beautiful brown but kept then nice and tender without any chewy or dry bits.

On a whim, I decided to bake some cavallo nero leaves with some olive oil and salt to make little crispy chips to garnish the meatballs. I must say, it was a really tasty touch but admittedly, not very dysphagia friendly. In the spirit sharing meals though, it may be something can easily be left off the plate or moved to the side rather than a exclusion point for the dish. OR garnish with a dysphagi friendly alternative- get creative! ✨

On the other hand, sauce-wise, I chose to stay true to the region my tastebuds were travelling to for this recipe and paired the meatballs with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses. It really helped to lift the rich lamb flavour and smooth out the bite of the barberry. I'm not a huge sweet tooth but I did enjoy the little touch. Would highly recommend and I assure you, you'll be reaching for it more and more after this sweet little introduction.

Lamb and Barberry Meatballs

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

500g lamb mince

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

½ cup barberries

⅓ cup pine nuts, ground

⅓ cup parmesan

¼ cup parsley, finely chopped

½ cup of water

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. 

2. Place the meat, garlic and onion powder, barberries, pine nuts, parmesan and parsley in a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly. 

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

4. After, slowly add the water and combine again.

5. Roll into medium sized balls or any shape of your choosing.

6. Place in a baking tray lined with oven paper and bake for 20 minutes, covered in alfoil. 

7. Then, remove the alfoil and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes. 

Plate up with your favourite steamed, roasted or pureed vegetable and drizzle with a pomegranate or fruit sauce for the perfect finishing touch 🍇🍒🍑✨