Lamb and Bulgur Meatballs in Lemony Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

1cup (170 g) uncooked bulgur, preferably fine

Ipound (450g) ground lamb

1½ cups (335 g) plain whole-milk Greek yogurt or labneh

½ cup (15 g) lightly packed chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

¼ cup (7g) lightly packed chopped fresh mint

¼ cup (35 g) finely chopped toasted hazelnuts

¼ cup (30 g) chopped scallions, white and light-green parts only

2 tablespoons spice mix (recipe follows)

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 large egg, beaten

Extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

¼ teaspoon dried chile flakes, or 2 whole small dried chiles, such as chiles de árbol

1% cups (420 ml) chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

I tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

SPICE MIX:

I love the complex perfume that long peppers (also called pipli) bring to this mix, so if you can find them, please use them. Otherwise any black peppercorn will work; Tellicherry is a good choice. Makes about 5 tablespoons

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1½ teaspoons coriander seeds

1½ teaspoons long pepper (pipli) or black peppercorns

1½ teaspoons allspice berries

1 teaspoon cardamom seeds (out of the pods)

1 whole star anise

2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1½ teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground sumac

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

SPICE MIX:

Toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, long pepper, allspice berries, and cardamom in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat, shaking the pan frequently to avoid burning, until the spices are very fragrant; some will darken slightly but not all, so go by smell rather than color.

Immediately dump them onto a plate or tray to stop the cooking and let cool.

When they're cool, grind them, along with the star anise, in a spice grinder. Transfer the ground spices to a bowl and add the Aleppo pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, sumac, and nutmeg.

Store in an airtight jar.Put the bulgur in a small bowl and cover generously with cool water. Soak until the bulgur has softened, though it should still have some toothiness to it, about 30 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve and shake and tap the sieve until you've got all the excess water out.

MEATBALLS:

Break up the lamb with your fingers and toss into a large bowl. Add the drained bulgur, ½ cup (115 g) of the yogurt, half the parsley, the mint, hazelnuts, scallions, spice mix, and salt, distributing them well as you add them so it's easier to blend everything together.

With clean hands, work the ingredients together to blend the seasonings; work gently so you keep the texture light. Add the beaten egg and work the mixture a bit more until the egg is incorporated.

Fry a test portion (about 2 tablespoons) in a nonstick skillet until the mixture is fully cooked and then taste for seasoning, adding more of anything to your liking.

Shape the mixture into 1½-ounce (42 g) meatballs (just a hint smaller than a golf ball) and arrange on a tray. If you want to freeze the meatballs to eat later, see the instructions in the headnote.

Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook slowly to toast it so it's very soft, fragrant, and nicely golden brown-but not burnt-about 5 minutes. Add the chile flakes, increase the heat to medium-high, and add enough meatballs to form a single layer with plenty of room for your spatula so you can roll and flip the meatballs.

Brown the meatballs all over, shaking and flipping so they are evenly colored and more or less keep their shape; this will take about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate or tray, wipe out any burnt pan juices, add a touch more olive oil if things look dry (or, if there's a lot of grease, pour it off), and fry another batch. Repeat until you've browned all the meatballs.

Return all the meatballs to the pan, add the broth, and adjust the heat to a nice simmer. Simmer the meatballs, rolling them around a bit, until they are fully cooked, about 15 minutes, depending on how long you browned them. The broth should reduce during this process. If the meatballs are totally cooked but you still have a lot of liquid (like more than ½ cup/120 ml) in the pan, scoop out the meatballs, continue to reduce the broth, then put the meatballs back in.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the remaining 1 cup (225 g) yogurt, shaking the pan to blend the yogurt with the pan juices and coat the meatballs. The meatballs are fragile, so be gentle with them. Toss in the remaining parsley, the lemon zest, and the lemon juice. Serve hot.

Notes

One of the many splendors of meatballs is that they freeze beautifully, giving you a complex dinner in minutes. I shape my meatballs, arrange them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and then freeze the raw meatballs "naked" until quite firm. At that point, I pile them into a good freezer container or bag. The individual freezing method means I can pull out the number I want at any time, leaving the rest for the next meatball meal. The bulgur keeps the texture light and tender, and it of course adds more nutritional value. Serve the meatballs and sauce with some plain cooked grains or whole wheat couscous. This recipe makes more seasoning than you'll need for the meatballs, but if you're going through the process, you might as well make enough for your next meatball batch ... because you will want to make these again! You can use the spice mix for a quick tagine, rice pilaf, or kebab, but to save time, use a ready-made North African or Middle Eastern blend such as ras el hanout or baharat. -Makes 24 meatballs