Lamb and feta meatballs from Easy Ottolenghi.

- Easy Ottolenghi: eight main course recipes for autumn | Life and style | The Guardian
Serve as a snack or starter, or bulk it up into a main course with some creamy mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables alongside. The pomegranate molasses are a wonderful addition, but if you don’t have any, the dish will work fine without. Serves six as a starter or snack.


500g minced lamb
100g feta, crumbled into roughly

1cm pieces
2 tbsp picked thyme leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
10g parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 slice white bread, blitzed
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Salt and black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp pomegranate molasses, plus 1 tbsp extra to serve (optional)

Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Put all the ingredients apart from the oil and pomegranate molasses in a large bowl, add three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper, and mix with your hands to combine. Still using your hands, divide the meatball mix into 18 roughly 35g portions and form each into 4cm-wide balls.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high flame, then fry the meatballs (cook them in batches, if need be), for five to six minutes in total, gently turning them throughout, until golden brown all over. Transfer the meatballs to an oven tray lined with baking paper, drizzle pomegranate molasses over the top, if using, and bake for five minutes, to cook through.

Serve hot, with a final tablespoon of pomegranate molasses spooned on top.

Lamb and feta meatballs from Easy Ottolenghi.

- Easy Ottolenghi: eight main course recipes for autumn | Life and style | The Guardian
Serve as a snack or starter, or bulk it up into a main course with some creamy mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables alongside. The pomegranate molasses are a wonderful addition, but if you don’t have any, the dish will work fine without. Serves six as a starter or snack.

Lamb and bulgur meatballs from Easy Ottolenghi.

- Easy Ottolenghi: meat recipes | Global | The Guardian
These couldn’t be easier; you don’t even need to saute the onions – just mix everything, shape into balls and cook. Chop the onions nice and fine, though, so the meatballs stay compact once they’re in the pan. If you wish, you can prep and roll the meatballs well in advance; that way, you can have them on the table within 15 minutes later in the day. Serves four.

80g bulgur wheat
500g minced lamb
½ onion, peeled and very finely chopped
15g parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp dried mint
1½ tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Salt and black pepper
100g feta, crumbled into 0.5cm pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
200g Greek yoghurt
5g mint leaves, roughly chopped
4 tsp lemon juice

Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Half-fill a small saucepan with cold water, bring to a boil, and cook the bulgur for three minutes. Drain in a sieve or colander and set aside until dry: you should end up with about 200g of cooked bulgur.

Tip the bulgur into a large bowl and add the lamb, onion, parsley, dried mint, cumin, cinnamon, garlic, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Mix well to combine, then gently fold in the feta. Divide the mix into 16 balls, weighing about 55g each, then gently but firmly press together, so they hold their shape later.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high flame, then fry the meatballs, turning them regularly, for eight to 10 minutes, until golden-brown all over (fry them in batches, if need be).

Transfer the browned meatballs to a small baking tray and bake for five minutes, to finish off cooking. Serve four balls a person with some yoghurt spooned alongside, a sprinkle of mint on top and a drizzle of lemon juice.

Lamb and bulgur meatballs from Easy Ottolenghi.

- Easy Ottolenghi: meat recipes | Global | The Guardian
These couldn’t be easier; you don’t even need to saute the onions – just mix everything, shape into balls and cook. Chop the onions nice and fine, though, so the meatballs stay compact once they’re in the pan. If you wish, you can prep and roll the meatballs well in advance; that way, you can have them on the table within 15 minutes later in the day. Serves four.

80g bulgur wheat
500g minced lamb
½ onion, peeled and very finely chopped
15g parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp dried mint
1½ tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Salt and black pepper
100g feta, crumbled into 0.5cm pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
200g Greek yoghurt
5g mint leaves, roughly chopped
4 tsp lemon juice

Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Half-fill a small saucepan with cold water, bring to a boil, and cook the bulgur for three minutes. Drain in a sieve or colander and set aside until dry: you should end up with about 200g of cooked bulgur.

Tip the bulgur into a large bowl and add the lamb, onion, parsley, dried mint, cumin, cinnamon, garlic, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Mix well to combine, then gently fold in the feta. Divide the mix into 16 balls, weighing about 55g each, then gently but firmly press together, so they hold their shape later.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high flame, then fry the meatballs, turning them regularly, for eight to 10 minutes, until golden-brown all over (fry them in batches, if need be).

Transfer the browned meatballs to a small baking tray and bake for five minutes, to finish off cooking. Serve four balls a person with some yoghurt spooned alongside, a sprinkle of mint on top and a drizzle of lemon juice.