Lamb Meatball Pitas

A filling and portable lunch is lamb meatballs with pomegranate sauce served in pitas and flavored with cumin and cinnamon. Reheating is simple to do in advance!

Ingredients :

For the meatballs

• 1 sandwich bread slice, torn into little bits.

• 1/3 cup whole milk

• 1 large egg

• 1 pound ground lamb

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

• 3 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/16 teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste

• 1 tablespoon canola or extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

For the optional garlic yogurt sauce

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

• Salt, to taste

• Pepper, to taste

To serve

• 4 pita pockets

• 4 cups of baby watercress or loosely packed arugula

• 8 mint leaves, torn into smaller pieces

• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

• Garlic yogurt sauce (optional)

STEPS :

     1. Preheat the broiler and prepare a sheet pan :

Place the oven's top rack 4 inches below the broiler. The broiler should be preheated on high. Foil a sheet pan and lay it aside to serve as the lining.

     2. Make the panade :

Using a fork or your fingers, wet the bread in a small basin by combining it with the milk. Place aside so that the bread can absorb the milk evenly and get soggy.

     3. Combine meatball ingredients :

Use a fork to quickly whisk the egg in a big bowl. Crumble the lamb into the bowl and add it. Over the lamb, evenly distribute the garlic, cilantro, mint, coriander, salt, cumin, orange zest, cinnamon, and cayenne. By rubbing the soggy bread mixture between your fingers, you can transform it into wet crumbs before adding it to the bowl.

Use your hands to evenly combine the lamb mixture in a gentle manner. If the mixture is overworked, the meatballs will toughen and become dense.

     4. Form the meatballs :

Take a tiny bit of the meat mixture—about 2 tablespoons—and roll it between your palms to make a meatball that is 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Putting it on the ready-made sheet pan. Put the meatballs in a single layer in the center of the sheet pan after you have finished forming them with the remaining meat mixture. There ought to be roughly 24 meatballs.

     5. Coat the meatballs in oil :

The meatballs on the sheet pan should be lightly coated with oil after being drizzled over them. They should be arranged in rows, one layer thick.

As an alternative, coat the meatballs with cooking spray before setting them on the sheet pan, and then spray them once more before broiling.

     6. Broil the meatballs :

The meatballs should be broiled for about 8 minutes total, turning the pan halfway through, until they are lightly browned and thoroughly done. (Occasionally, I forget to flip the pan, and they turn out OK but are less uniformly colored.) If the meat is still a bit pink, depending on how you prefer your lamb, it's acceptable as long as it's not raw anymore.

     7. Drizzle the meatballs with pomegranate molasses :

The meatballs should be placed in a bowl. Toss the meatballs with a spoon to evenly distribute the pomegranate molasses.

     8. Make the garlic yogurt sauce :

Combine the yogurt, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Save money away to be used later to save.

     9. Warm the pitas :

Put the pitas in a pile and completely enclose it in wet paper towels. Pitas should be placed on a platter suitable for the microwave and heated for 15 to 30 seconds on high power.

Instead, heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Each pita should have a few droplets of water on both sides before being stacked. Pitas should be properly coated in a damp paper towel before being wrapped in foil. For about 8 minutes, heat in the oven until thoroughly heated. Retain sealed until you're ready to put together and serve.

     10. Stuff the pitas and serve :

Half the pitas, please. If using, spread the garlic yogurt sauce within the pita pockets. Split the pomegranate seeds, mint, and arugula among the pita halves. Serve the meatballs with the pita pockets right away.

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