Greek Meatballs in Asparagus Lemon Sauce

[Snip 13]

This looks yum! Thanks Kayelle

 

[jharris]

Because this is a recipe put together by inspiration of other recipes, and my own ideas, I think I can safely call it my own. It's really delicious.

1 lb. ground lamb
1/3 cup long grain rice, uncooked
1/3 cup white onion, very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground oregano, crushed between palms
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tbs. chopped fresh mint
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 large egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth (I use Swanson)
1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 in. pieces

For the sauce:
2 large eggs at room temp
2/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (nothing else will do)

Combine ground lamb, rice, onion, garlic, parsley, mint, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add egg to mixture and mix well. Place flour in a shallow dish. With wet hands, shape into walnut-sized balls. Roll meatballs in flour and shake off excess.
Heat four cups of the chicken broth in a Dutch oven or a deep large skillet until boiling. Carefully place the meatballs in a single layer on the bottom of the pot. Gently simmer covered, over low heat for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and add the asparagus while you make the sauce, being careful not to over cook. You want it cooked till just crisp tender.

For the sauce:
Using a whisk, beat the eggs in a medium bowl until frothy. Add plenty of salt, and white pepper. Slowly whisk in the lemon juice. Ladle one cup of the pot liquid little by little into egg-lemon mixture to temper the eggs. Remove pot from heat and slowly add egg-lemon mixture stirring gently. Heat over very low heat until sauce thickens and is heated through. Take care not to allow the sauce to boil or the eggs will curdle.

Play music from Zorba the Greek, pour some white wine, and light some candles.

Serve in flat soup bowls, with plenty of crusty rolls to dip in the yummy lemon sauce.

This recipe sounds and looks sooooo good!

Questions for anyone......

Can I substitute Egg Beaters for the eggs?

If I do so should I stick to the 1/4 cup egg beaters = 1 egg ratio?

Can I substitute ground turkey breast for the lamb without changing the character of this dish too much?

All suggestions are welcome and most appreciated.

 

[pacanis]

I can't speak for the egg beaters, J, but if using turkey I would cut down on the lemon juice. IMO you need a flavorful meat to hold up against the lemon flavor. Plus the simmering lamb meatballs give the chicken broth a wonderful flavor.

 

[jharris]

Thank you,

I usually don't eat eggs (cholesterol) or lamb but what's the harm in the occasional treat right?

I'll take your advice and enjoy this treat in all its glory. Can't wait!

 

[CWS4322]

I've got ground turkey, ground chicken, and ground pork in the freezer. I've been debating whether to make Italian Wedding Soup, Swedish meatballs, cabbage roll meatloaf, or chicken-spinach meatballs with a chicken gravy served on rice. So many choices. I often eat the extra filling from stuffed grapeleaves as meatballs with a lemon sauce...

 

[CWS4322]

Thank you,

I usually don't eat eggs (cholesterol) or lamb but what's the harm in the occasional treat right?

I'll take your advice and enjoy this treat in all its glory. Can't wait!

The debate (argument) about eggs and cholesterol is one that I don't buy into--I eat eggs almost every day and my cholesterol level is at the bottom of "good" level. The cholesterol in eggs is dairy cholesterol, not blood serum cholesterol. Eggs got a bad rap in the '70s and '80s. Eggs contain choline (sp) which is not found in many foods. Choline is good for brain health. Eggs also contribute to fibrin (sorry, I can't put my hands on my reference book that explains the importance of fibrin--it has to do with clotting so fibrin reduces the risk of blood clots, if I recall). Eggs also are beneficial for weight loss. The book is here s/where. I cleaned up when a friend came over for dinner the other night . Interestingly enough, those "egg substitutes" contain more sodium and cholesterol than real eggs. Of course I like eggs, I have 24 laying hens! And, there is s/thing about scrambled eggs that breaks down the make up of the egg and releases cholesterol, but for that, I need to find my book.

 

[GotGarlic]

The debate (argument) about eggs and cholesterol is one that I don't buy into--I eat eggs almost every day and my cholesterol level is at the bottom of "good" level. The cholesterol in eggs is dairy cholesterol, not blood serum cholesterol. Eggs got a bad rap in the '70s and '80s...

I agree. The body produces cholesterol itself. If you eat food with cholesterol, the body makes less to maintain a proper balance. It's usually genetic factors or other health issues that cause high cholesterol.

 

[Kayelle]

I was so pleasantly surprised to see this back on the front page Pac, and your pictures are outa sight! It's really one recipe I'm very proud of and now I'm so hungry for it again, but it will have to wait till I can stand longer on this broken foot.
Personally, I have a real fondness for ground lamb but seldom eat it as it's quite hard to find around here. I guess one could use other ground meat, but all the flavors are really suited best for lamb being the star of this show.

 

[CWS4322]

Unfortunately lamb tends to be quite pricey in my area. I do splurge and buy ground lamb from a local lamb producer when it is time to make stuffed grapeleaves. But, the lamb is about $8/lb.

 

[Addie]

I was so pleasantly surprised to see this back on the front page Pac, and your pictures are outa sight! It's really one recipe I'm very proud of and now I'm so hungry for it again, but it will have to wait till I can stand longer on this broken foot.
Personally, I have a real fondness for ground lamb but seldom eat it as it's quite hard to find around here. I guess one could use other ground meat, but all the flavors are really suited best for lamb being the star of this show.

If you own a KA I would strongly suggest you invest in the food grinder. Aside from grinding your own lamb, you can grind anything that you buy already ground. The cost of labor in the grinding is included in the final price. You can buy lamb shoulders, cut it from the bone and grind it. Around here lamb shoulder is the cheapest of the lamb cuts. Compare the cost of ground lamb to the cost of lamb shoulders. Sometimes they are mostly fatty. So I put the purchase off for another day when they are looking better. They are what I buy for lamb stew.

 

[CWS4322]

If you own a KA I would strongly suggest you invest in the food grinder. Aside from grinding your own lamb, you can grind anything that you buy already ground. The cost of labor in the grinding is included in the final price. You can buy lamb shoulders, cut it from the bone and grind it. Around here lamb shoulder is the cheapest of the lamb cuts. Compare the cost of ground lamb to the cost of lamb shoulders. Sometimes they are mostly fatty. So I put the purchase off for another day when they are looking better. They are what I buy for lamb stew.

Lamb, as a rule, is expensive here. I do have a meat grinder, but finding lamb can be tricky.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Lamb, as a rule, is expensive here. I do have a meat grinder, but finding lamb can be tricky.

Agreed, usually all I can find is lamb chops and they are tiny! Around Christmas and Easter I can find a Leg of lamb...but the price, YIKES! And I would be the only one eating it...

When I made the meatballs with lamb, I had gotten lucky and found a package of "day old" boneless chops and ground them myself.

 

[Addie]

Gee, I can find lamb at my butcher's almost all the time. And there is another meat shop withing walking distance from me that always seems to have lamb. I don't buy it that often, but when I want it I can find it at a reasonable price. Shoulder chops are usually between 3 and 4.99 a pound. Sometimes even a dollar less. This week they are $4.99. Towards the end of next month, the price will drop a lot. Easter!

 

[CWS4322]

Agreed, usually all I can find is lamb chops and they are tiny! Around Christmas and Easter I can find a Leg of lamb...but the price, YIKES! And I would be the only one eating it...

When I made the meatballs with lamb, I had gotten lucky and found a package of "day old" boneless chops and ground them myself.

My lamb producer pays $8/lb to get the lamb processed, so the ground lamb is a good deal. The other cuts of lamb are VERY expensive--$14-20/lb. I checked on raising a lamb....the price to process minus the cost of feed equaled a negative option. Lucky folks who can buy lamb cheap. Here, it is a "luxury" meat.

 

[Addie]

My lamb producer pays $8/lb to get the lamb processed, so the ground lamb is a good deal. The other cuts of lamb are VERY expensive--$14-20/lb. I checked on raising a lamb....the price to process minus the cost of feed equaled a negative option. Lucky folks who can buy lamb cheap. Here, it is a "luxury" meat.

Most of our lamb comes from NZ and Australia. We don't get American lamb until spring time. So we have a steady supply. You would think that Canada would be able to get lamb from NZ and Australia before they would ship it to the U.S. All three countries are members of the Commonwealth.

 

[GotGarlic]

Most of our lamb comes from NZ and Australia. We don't get American lamb until spring time. So we have a steady supply. You would think that Canada would be able to get lamb from NZ and Australia before they would ship it to the U.S. All three countries are members of the Commonwealth.

Political affiliation has nothing to do with it. If the market in the U.S. is larger, lamb producers will export here. And remember you're in a large city, Addie. Bigger market = more choices.

 

[CWS4322]

I did a very nice variation of this recipe using a nice lamb chop ($3.40) yesterday. My camera batteries died--so I didn't get any pics, but I marinated the chop using the herbs and spices, EVOO and some red wine vinegar, broiled it, topped it with the lemon sauce (made with Meyer lemon juice-fresh) and some Greek yogurt to which I added garlic, mint, and Meyer lemon juice.It was delicious with a side of wild rice and arugula.

 

[Addie]

Political affiliation has nothing to do with it. If the market in the U.S. is larger, lamb producers will export here. And remember you're in a large city, Addie. Bigger market = more choices.

We do have a very large Greek population. Therefore, more lamb is eaten. Boston is the closest port to Europe and more immigrants now come through here than NY. We had our own "Ellis Island" up to the 60's. They just tore the building down this past year.

At this moment I can't think of any meat we can't get here. Including even sweetbreads. Very popular amongst the immigrants. Did you know that the U.S. slaughter houses ship the cows eyeballs to Italy? They are considered a delicacy there. The Italians here can place special orders for them.

 

[Kayelle]

I did a very nice variation of this recipe using a nice lamb chop ($3.40) yesterday. My camera batteries died--so I didn't get any pics, but I marinated the chop using the herbs and spices, EVOO and some red wine vinegar, broiled it, topped it with the lemon sauce (made with Meyer lemon juice-fresh) and some Greek yogurt to which I added garlic, mint, and Meyer lemon juice.It was delicious with a side of wild rice and arugula.

This sounds really good too CWS and I'm anxious to try it.

Unfortunately, it's my right foot that got broken and I can't drive so I sent Steve out to hunt for lamb. I told him he wouldn't need a gun but it turns out he could have used one because of the highway robbery with the price of the ground lamb he found. It's gone up 3 dollars per pound to $8.00 lb...YKIES. I don't have a meat grinder, and no need for a Kitchen Aid mixer. I used to have my mom's old crank grinder, but threw it out long ago, so for now I'm stuck. I figure I can buy a lot of ground lamb for the price of a good electric meat grinder. Now if asparagus would just reflect spring pricing soon, I may be able to stand long enough to make my recipe again.

 

[Dawgluver]

This sounds really good too CWS and I'm anxious to try it.

Unfortunately, it's my right foot that got broken and I can't drive so I sent Steve out to hunt for lamb. I told him he wouldn't need a gun but it turns out he could have used one because of the highway robbery with the price of the ground lamb he found. It's gone up 3 dollars per pound to $8.00 lb...YKIES. I don't have a meat grinder, and no need for a Kitchen Aid mixer. I used to have my mom's old crank grinder, but threw it out long ago, so for now I'm stuck. I figure I can buy a lot of ground lamb for the price of a good electric meat grinder. Now if asparagus would just reflect spring pricing soon, I may be able to stand long enough to make my recipe again.

Do you have a food processor, Kayelle? It will do a passable meat grind, just make sure the meat's slightly frozen, cut into small chunks, and pulse (a lot), don't grind. Keep scraping.