crystal palace food market

Italian Meatballs / Greek Skewers – Thrift / Two for One

Italian Meatballs / Greek Skewers – Thrift / Two for One
Serves 4
The idea here is that you make up one meaty mix that you can use for two completely different dishes, making your meat and your time go further. The first: wine-baked meatballs to serve Italian-stylee with spaghetti. The second: some gorgeous little Greek kebab skewers to serve with pita breads, baba ganoush*, tatziki** (see below) and a big salad. Produce from Jacob's Ladder, Perry Court & Wild Country Organics Farms.
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
30 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 500g minced beef
  2. 1 onion, very finely chopped
  3. 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  4. 50g stoned black olives, chopped
  5. 50g breadcrumbs
  6. 1 egg, lightly beaten
  7. A hunk of fresh chilli, finely chopped (more or less, to taste)
  8. 2–3 tbsp fresh rosemary, thyme and/or oregano, leaves finely chopped
  9. Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Mix everything together really well (this is much easier using your hands). Divide the mixture into two: half for the meatballs and half for the skewers – or just use up all the mix for one of the below.
For the meatballs
  1. Divide the mix into 12 balls. Gloss your hands with a little olive oil while you roll the meat into little balls. Place in a roasting tin with a little more olive oil. Bake at 220C/Gas 7 for 10 mins, until starting to colour up. Pour a glass of red wine over the meatballs and bake for 10 mins. Then, stir 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp sugar and a handful of chopped. Cook for a further 20 to 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and thickened. Serve warm with olive oil glossed spaghetti or wedges of garlic bread and a salad.
For the skewers
  1. Divide the other half of the mix into 4 (for one large skewer each) or into 8 (for two smaller skewers each). Roll each portion of meat into a sausage shape. Poke a skewer through the centre of each, squeezing the meat around the skewer as you go. Gloss with a little olive oil and grill on the bbq or under your oven grill for 5-7 mins on each side, or just until coloured up and cooked through. For added flavor, slosh a little wine or balsamic vinegar over the skewers as they cook.
*Baba ganoush
  1. Just roast a whole aubergine until tender and just about collapsing, remove the stem, and whiz it up a little garlic, a few spoonfuls of tahini, lots of lemon juice, salt and pepper.
**Tatziki
  1. Grate a nugget of cucumber, enough to give you3-4 tbsp, mix with salt, set in a colander to drain – the salt will draw out the water, mix the cucumber with 200g Greek yogurt and a handful of fresh, chopped mint, season with salt and pepper and finish with a little olive oil.
Crystal Palace Food Market https://www.crystalpalacefoodmarket.co.uk/