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Lebanese Meatballs or Daoud Basha

Cook Time:

35 minutes

Serves:

3 - 4 people

Lebanese Meatballs or Daoud Basha

400 g beef or lamb mince
1 large free-range egg
1 teaspoon powdered fenugreek
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons Baharat (or Arabic 7 spice) spice mix
A couple of twists of salt and pepper
1 dessert spoon vegetable oil
6 dessert spoons tomato puree
800 millilitres gluten free stock
250 g rice (I used par boiled)
35 g pine nuts
A handful of flat leaf parsley leaves

Begin by placing the mince into a large bowl. Crack the egg into the mince then add powdered fenugreek, cinnamon, Baharat, salt and pepper and then use your hands to mix everything together. After a few minutes of mixing take a pinch of the meat and roll it between the palms of your hands applying a little pressure until you have formed a ball slightly smaller than a ping pong ball. Continue until you have used up the mince, I made 16 balls.

Continue by heating a saucepan and adding a dessert spoon vegetable oil. Now add the balls and fry moving the balls using two spoons every minute or so until you have sealed them and they have some good colour, should take no more than 5 minutes. Continue by removing the balls to a plate covered with kitchen towel, then add the stock to the same saucepan, then add the tomato puree and stir thoroughly before bringing to a boil. When it starts to boil, add back the balls and reduce to a simmer then cook for 30 minutes stirring every now and again while reducing the sauce.

While cooking, prepare your rice and wash/chop the flat leaf parsley. Finally heat a small frying pan and roast the pine nuts moving constantly until they are nice and brown, then remove to a bowl to cool. When everything is ready, serve a good dollop of rice onto a plate then make a well in the middle and add some of the balls to this. Finally add some sauce over the top before adding some chopped parsley and the toasted pine nuts. I served mine with steamed green beans, which went very well with it.

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