GREEK-STYLE BRAISED LAMB MEATBALLS
Edward Leonard, CMC, WGMC, AAC, Vice President /Corporate Chef Culinary SBU
Le Cordon Bleu/Career Education Corporation
Schaumburg, Ill.
Yield: 4 servings
Another tip to avoiding a tough meatball is
to go light on the breadcrumbs, says Kevin
Marquet, executive chef at The 9th Door,
Denver. Marquet features albóndigas—
traditional lamb meatballs served in a Moorish
mint/almond sauce. “We’ve had them on the
menu for four years now, and their popularity
makes them impossible to take off.”
The albóndigas comprise freshly ground
Colorado lamb and a mixture of eggs,
breadcrumbs, mint, garlic and onion. The
meatballs are cooked and then chilled,
storing well for up to three days.
“The sauce is the really interesting part,”
Marquet says. “We pan-fry the meatballs
first to get them brown on all sides. Then we
cook them in equal parts of lamb stock and
sherry, using a thickening paste of ground
almonds, mint, lemon zest and olive oil.”
1) In large stainless steel bowl, add heavy
cream to bread; let sit for 10 minutes. Add
lamb, breadcrumbs, rice, diced olives, mint,
dill, parsley, garlic, egg and salt. Knead all
ingredients together; form into walnut-size
balls. Refrigerate. 2) In saucepan over
medium heat, add 2 T. butter. Stir in flour
until smooth. Whisk; cook 2-3 minutes.
Gradually whisk in chicken broth, lamb
broth, and lemon zest and juice. Bring to
a simmer for 3-5 minutes; season to taste
with salt and pepper. Whisk in 3 T. cold
diced butter. 3) In heavy skillet, pan-fry
meatballs in oil until browned. Put meatballs
in casserole; cover with sauce. Bake at
375°F for 30 minutes. 4) To serve: Transfer
meatballs to serving dish. Toss tomatoes
and chopped olives in extra virgin olive oil;
spoon on top of meatballs. Distribute feta,
parsley and pine nuts over meatballs.
The mint is subtle rather than overpowering,
and complements the lamb perfectly in this
nontraditional meatball, he adds.
Acknowledging whether your meatballs
are traditional or nontraditional is really
important, says de Magistris, who, as a chef
of Italian birth, has a special plea for his
American contemporaries. “If you’re going to
make meatballs your way, go for it. But don’t
call it Italian.”
4-6 T. heavy cream
2 slices white bread, crust removed,
diced
1 lb. ground American lamb
4 T. toasted breadcrumbs
3 T. cooked long-grain rice
2 T. diced Greek olives
2 T. minced mint
1 T. chopped dill
1 T. chopped parsley
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg
½ t. salt
2 T. butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth or stock
1 cup lamb broth
1 lemon, zest and juice
Kosher or sea salt and black pepper,
to taste
3 T. cold diced butter
3 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, diced
2 T. chopped green Greek olives
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
Crumbled feta cheese, chopped
parsley and toasted pine nuts, for
garnish
Lauren Kramer, an award-winning writer
based in Vancouver, Canada, is passionate
about gourmet food and delights in tasting it
and writing about it.
