Lamb Meatballs
This recipe for lamb meatballs with a Greek-inspired tomato sauce, adapted from the cookbook author and pressure-cooking maven Lorna Sass, comes together in well under an hour. Featured in: Apply A Little Pressure.
🍳 Cook: 30 min
Ingredients
| 1.5 pound | 680 g | ground lamb |
| 1 | large egg | |
| 0.5 cup | 120 ml | crumbled feta cheese |
| 0.33 cup | 79 ml | bread crumbs |
| 3 tbsp | 45 ml | chopped parsley |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | tomato paste |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | milk or water |
| 0.5 tsp | 2.5 ml | garlic powder (for the meatballs) |
| 0.5 tsp | 2.5 ml | salt |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | olive oil (1 to 2) |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | coarsely chopped onions |
| 1 | medium green pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped | |
| 0.5 cup | 120 ml | dry red wine or dry vermouth |
| 0.5 cup | 120 ml | water |
| 28 oz | 795 g | crushed tomatoes in puree (or a 28 oz can plum tomatoes with liquid plus a 6 oz can tomato paste) |
| 0.5 tsp | 2.5 ml | garlic powder (for the sauce), 1/2 to 1 |
| 0.33 cup | 79 ml | pitted, chopped kalamata olives |
| 0.25 cup | 60 ml | crumbled feta cheese, plus more for garnish |
| 0.25 cup | 60 ml | chopped parsley |
| 0.25 tsp | 1.3 ml | crushed red pepper, 1/4 to 1/2 |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | dried oregano |
| 0.125 tsp | 0.6 ml | ground cinnamon, 1/8 to 1/4 |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | sugar (optional), 1 to 2 |
| — | salt and freshly ground pepper |
Instructions
- In a large bowl, blend the first 9 ingredients for the meatballs. Moisten your palms with water, and shape the mixture into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter.
- In a 4-quart or larger pressure cooker, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onions and green pepper, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the cooker. Boil until the wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Stir in the water, and add the meatballs in one or two layers. Pour the tomatoes over the meatballs. (Do not stir.) Sprinkle on the garlic powder.
- Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Quick-release the pressure by setting the cooker under cold running water. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow the steam to escape.
- Split a meatball in half to check for doneness. If necessary, cover the cooker, and simmer until done.
- Gently stir in the olives, feta, parsley, crushed red pepper, oregano, cinnamon and a tablespoon of olive oil, if needed, to give the sauce a rich finish. Simmer a few minutes. Season to taste with sugar, salt and pepper (go easy on the salt, as the olives and feta have plenty). Serve in shallow bowls, garnished with feta.