Baharat Meatballs with Green Tahini and Zaatar Autumn Slaw
Meatballs are a thing of dinner time beauty. Rid your mind of golf ball sized balls and go for big and beautiful; you will be richly rewarded. It allows for so much more tender flavour. I also opt for a ‘reverse sear’ kind of approach starting them off in the oven and finishing on the stove top. It stops ball breakage (important) and prevents that quick n dirty cooked on the outside raw in the middle situation we all like to avoid. Served with a glorious green tahini and crunchy celeriac slaw, this is fresh and crisp and completely delicious.
This is a recipe I developed for my lovely local butcher Meat at Billy's.
Ingredients 27
Baharat Meatballs
500 g pork mince
500 g beef mince
2 cloves garlic
1 egg
1 onion, finely diced
1 pita, soaked in milk until soft then strained of liquid
1⁄2 cup persian feta
2 1⁄2 tbsp baharat spice blend
1 tbsp turmeric
salt and pepper, to season
1 cup mixed soft herbs, finely chopped, parsley, coriander, basil, mint
Green Tahini
2 tbsp tahini
1 lemon juice
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 avocado
1 garlic clove, peeled, chopped
2 cups herbs, chopped
3 green shallots, trimmed
water
Celeriac And Pear Slaw
1 pear, sliced julienne, using a mandoline
1⁄2 celeriac, large, trimmed, sliced julienne (using a mandoline)
1 lemon, juice and zest
1⁄2 cup herbs, finely chopped, basil, mint, coriander
1⁄4 cup kewpie mayonnaise
1 tbsp zaatar seasoning
To Serve
za’atar
sumac
basil or mint leaves, few
Your new home
for cooking
Turn your recipe chaos into a plan for the week.
Browse 1000+ inspiring creator recipes
Unlimited recipe import from social media, blogs and more
Generate shopping lists and meal plans in seconds with AI
Method 8
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Add all the ingredients for the meatballs to a large mixing bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper then using your hands massage the ingredients until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Don’t rush this step. Shape into balls, you want enough mixture that it is the full size of your palm.
Add olive oil to a large oven proof frying pan and add the meatballs. Pop in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
While the balls are cooking, make the green tahini. Add all ingredients to a blender with a decent splash of iced water. Blitz and check for seasoning. You may need to adjust for thickness, you want it to be a thick mayonnaise consistency. Add water (slowly) to help thin out if too thick. Set aside.
To make the slaw add the , and to a bowl and mix to combine. Add the , and to a bowl. Add the mayonnaise mixture and toss to coat. You want to only just coat this to keep it light and bright.
Remove the meatballs from the oven. Place over medium heat and cook, turning gently to get a nice golden tan on your meatballs. If you find you have quite a bit of liquid in the base of your frying pan, you can gently remove the balls. Tip out any liquid then give the base of the pan a quick oil before returning your meatballs and browning on all sides.
To plate, add a generous spoonful or two of green tahini to each bowl. Top with meatballs and a handful of slaw. Scatter over additional za’atar and sumac.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Katrina Meynink's tips
Rid your mind of golf ball sized balls and go for big and beautiful; you will be richly rewarded. It allows for so much more tender flavour.
I also opt for a ‘reverse sear’ kind of approach starting them off in the oven and finishing on the stove top. It stops ball breakage (important) and prevents that quick n dirty cooked on the outside raw in the middle situation we all like to avoid.
Don’t rush this step. Shape into balls, you want enough mixture that it is the full size of your palm.
If you find you have quite a bit of liquid in the base of your frying pan, you can gently remove the balls. Tip out any liquid then give the base of the pan a quick oil before returning your meatballs and browning on all sides.
