Middle Eastern Meatballs - Article: Inventing a Recipe

"I am often asked how I create recipes. One that I developed, for a cocktail party during last month’s holidays, is a hot hors d’oeuvre. The recipe started with the thought of meatballs, which came to mind because everyone likes them. But making them for a crowd is a nuisance. Besides having to stand and turn them, I dread the way cooking them leaves the stove spattered with grease.

So I set out to create a recipe with three goals. First, a meatball with distinctive, appealing flavor. Second, one that can be broiled or baked. And finally, a way of making my meatballs more healthful while keeping them tasty.

For flavor, I got an inspiration while doing errands. I stopped at a fast food cart parked on the street that sold freshly-grilled shish kebab. The warm, Middle Eastern spices flavoring the meat made me think of using cumin, cinnamon and herbs in the meatballs. The bed of rice under the meat led to the idea of mixing cooked rice brown rice into the meat. This would both make them more healthful and cut the cost by stretching the meat, a good idea since I wanted the flavor of lean ground sirloin.

Moving on to the second goal, and thinking that baking could dry out the meat, I decided to broil the meatballs rather than cook them on top of the stove. Turned only once, they came out juicy and just right.

Except for the Swedish type, a dip usually accompanies meatballs served as an hors d’oeuvre. Since Greek and Middle Eastern meat dishes often have a yogurt sauce, that’s what I decided to start with. For pungent flavor, I added garlic and hot pepper. But it needed another flavor dimension. Considering how Mediterranean dishes use mint with meats, it seemed a good choice. Since most fresh mint sold in supermarkets tastes mediocre, dried mint was the answer, the kind used to make mint tea. To see how this worked, I grabbed a mint tea bag, tore it open, and stirred its contents into the dip, making it the perfect finish for this meatball recipe."

Middle Eastern Meatballs

1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1-2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
1 tsp. crushed dried mint
Salt to taste
3/4 lb. 93 percent lean ground beef
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup packed cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup packed flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, garlic and mint. Season to taste with salt.

Set the broiler rack 5 inches from the heat. Preheat the boiler.

In a mixing bowl, combine the meat, rice, onion, cilantro, parsley, cinnamon, cumin, red and black peppers, plus 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring the mixture with a fork until it is well blended. With your hands, form the mixture into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. As you make them, place the meatballs on a baking sheet that fits under the broiler.

Broil the meatballs until they are well browned on top, 4 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn and cook until the meatballs are browned outside and no longer pink in the center, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer them to a serving plate and serve warm, passing the yogurt sauce in a bowl.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 171 calories, 4 g. total fat (2 g. saturated fat), 12 g. carbohydrate, 21 g. protein, less than 1g. dietary fiber, 391 mg. sodium.

From: Dana Jacobi, author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook and contributor to AICR’s New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life
Source: the American Institute for Cancer Research