Day 7: Lamb Meatballs with Couscous and Feta
Today's recipe was prepared by Maggie Shi, deputy editor of RealSimple.com and a recent addition to our blogger lineup in the Food & Recipes channel. For the website, Maggie overseas all of our food coverage as well as everything in the Work & Life channel.
When I saw the recipe for Lamb Meatballs with Couscous and Feta in this month's issue, I knew I had to tackle it. Why? Because apparently, many of you RS cooks out there don't like lamb. Salmon? Sure. Shrimp? Yes. Chicken? Forget about it. But lamb seems to be an unpopular choice for a lot of you.
This recipe is perfect if you're a little uncertain about cooking or eating lamb, because it instantly becomes picky-eater-friendly (dare I even say kid-friendly?) once it's in meatball form. I already had a few of the ingredients on hand, so I stopped by the grocery store and farmers' market to pick up the rest. From the grocery store: organic apricots (which is why in the photo above they aren't that perky orange color you usually see—nothing artificial added), whole wheat couscous (more fiber and protein than the regular kind), and Feta. (If your store sells its own Feta packaged in plastic containers and water, get it—it'll be much fresher and more flavorful than the pre-packaged type shrink-wrapped in plastic. Oh, and buy a block and crumble it yourself—the pre-crumbled cheese will also lack flavor.) My store wasn't selling its own Feta, so I picked up the Neighborly Farms brand: It's a Vermont cow's milk feta that I knew would be delicious because I've had their raw milk Cheddar, which is extremely tasty and makes a killer grilled cheese sandwich.
From the farmers' market, all I needed was a cucumber (I got a Persian one because the farmer said it had a thinner skin and seeds, similar to an English cucumber) and some ground lamb, which came from happy, hormone-free animals at Catskill Merino Sheep Farm. If you can't find ground lamb packaged at the grocery store, ask your butcher to grind some lamb shoulder for you—it'll be fresher that way, too.
Back home, it took me several minutes to chop all my ingredients before it was time to make the meatballs. When mixing the ingredients with the lamb, don't be shy—dig in with your clean hands and go to town (just don't overmix, which will lead to dense meatballs). Forming the balls was a cinch; they held together well and didn't stick to my hands. I lined them up on my baking sheet, which I had covered with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
I popped them in the oven, then turned my attention to the couscous. I had a moment of panic when I realized that whole wheat couscous might cook differently/take longer than regular, but luckily that wasn't the case. Placed in a bowl with the hot water and covered with a plate, the couscous came out perfectly fluffy in just a few minutes—amazing! (If you're trying to put together quick meals on a regular basis and couscous is not one of your staple ingredients, you're making a big mistake; it's a lifesaver.) In the meantime, the meatballs were ready. I was again amazed at how quickly they cooked and how speedily the meal came together once the initial prep work was done.
The final meal looked beautiful on the plate and was a huge hit. The meatballs were delicious; the chopped apricots really elevated them to another level, their sweetness perfectly balancing out the earthiness of the lamb. The Feta added just the right salty bite to the vegetables and couscous, while the sliced onion and lemon juice perked up all the flavors and cut through the meatballs' richness. My boyfriend loved the meal too, calling the meatballs "incredibly good!"
This recipe is definitely a keeper; I'll be adding it to my regular rotation. And if you're still not convinced about lamb—well, you can always use ground beef instead.
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how you liked it in the comments, and share your photos by following @RealSimpleFood on Twitter and using the hashtag #OctDinner.
