Minty Lamb and Apricot Meatballs
with Tomato Pearl Barley Risotto
When most people watch the meatball scene in Lady and the Tramp, they see romance. They coo and giggle. Now, while that’s all very nice, all I saw was a very relatable, very terrifying struggle to get the last meatball! Did anyone else feel that way? Now, take those meatballs and multiply their deliciousness by 100 or so and you have our minty lamb and apricot meatballs. Cook these up and make sure you get one extra for all your hard work!
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
Ingredients
1
Onion
2
Garlic Clove
4
Dried Apricots
(Contains Sulphites)
1
Leek
3
Mint
¾
Pearl Barley
(Contains Cereals containing gluten)
1
Chopped Tomatoes
½
Chicken Stock Pot
250
Lamb Mince
3
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains Cereals containing gluten)
Nutritional information
Utensils
Instructions
Peel and chop your onion into 2cm pieces. Peel and chop your garlic and chop your apricots into very small pieces, about ½cm (if your knife skills allow!). Chop the green leafy part and the root from the leek and discard these, slice the leek in half and then very thinly slice widthways. Roughly chop the mint leaves.
Put a saucepan on a medium heat with 3 tbsp of oil and add the onion, garlic and leek. Cook for about 5 mins with a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper until everything has softened. Spoon roughly a third of this mixture into a bowl and set aside for later (you’ll use it for the meatballs!).
Add the pearl barley to the saucepan with the onion mixture and stir, so that the pearl barley has a nice coating of oil.
Tip in your chopped tomatoes along with 400ml of water and half your stock pot. Add ¼ tsp of salt, a good grind of pepper and ½ tsp of sugar (if you have any). Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer the risotto gently for about 30 mins or until the pearl barley is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Tip: Stir occasionally to stop the risotto sticking to the bottom of the pan! Tip: If the risotto dries out before the pearl barley is cooked, simply add a splash more water.
While your risotto is cooking, tackle the meatballs! Add your lamb mince, apricots, breadcrumbs and three quarters of your chopped mint to the onion, garlic and leek mixture you set aside earlier in step 2. Season with ¼ tsp of salt and a good grind of pepper and mix well. Tip: Using your hands to mix combines everything much more effectively, so don’t be afraid to get stuck in there!
Shape the mixture into roughly 12 equal-sized small meatballs (about the diameter of a 50p piece). Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and cook your meatballs for about 8-9 mins in total, or until each side is nicely browned and the meatballs are cooked through. Remember to turn them every couple of mins. Tip: Turn them gently so they don’t break up. Set them aside in the pan until the risotto is finished.
When the pearl barley is tender and has absorbed all the liquid, check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with your meatballs and sprinkle the rest of your mint over. Yum!
