Sesame-Spiced Turkey Meatballs & Smashed Chickpea Salad

Amarante

Sun, Dec 06 2015, 10:11 am

This was very good and relatively easy. Salad can be made ahead of time. I just served as a main with meatballs on top but you could stuff in pita or as a wrap.

I would suggest doubling salad as it is really tasty.

Sesame-Spiced Turkey Meatballs & Smashed Chickpea Salad

Source: Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perlman

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

1 lb (455 grams) ground turkey
2/3 cup (40 grams) fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
1 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons (15 grams) sesame seeds, toasted
olive oil to coat pan

For the Chickpea Salad:

1 3/4 cups (440 grams) cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Handful of pitted, halved, and very thinly sliced green olives
1/2 teaspoon ground sumac, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Chopped fresh parsley (can use cilantro if prefer)
2 Tablespoon (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon table salt
Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 ? F. Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl with a fork, breaking up the clumps of meat until ingredients are well combined. Form the turkey mixture into golf-ball sized meatballs. Arrange them on a parchment paper lined baking tray.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof saut? pan. Brown the meatballs in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan. Transfer the meatballs to a paper-towel lined tray and continue cooking until all of the meatballs have been browned.

Discard the oil and wipe all but a thin layer from the pan. Return all of the meatballs to the pan and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake until a thermometer reads and internal temperature of 160 to 165?, or about 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare chickpea salad. Mix all of the ingredients with the exception of the olive oil in a medium-sized bowl. Very lightly smash the chickpea mixture with the back of a fork or a potato masher. Continue to smash the chickpeas until you reach a consistency somewhere between hummus and a coarse chop. Dress the chickpeas with a drizzle of olive oil and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve meatballs on top of the chickpea salad.

Amarante

Sun, Dec 06 2015, 1:32 pm

Sumac is a spice. It's common in Middle Eastern cooking. Here's a bit about it. You should be able to find in a good store but I like penzey for spices as they are fresh and cheaper than the supermarket. But if you have a good ethnic store in your neighborhood, you would find as well

What Is Sumac?
The sumac bush, native to the Middle East, produces deep red berries, which are dried and ground into coarse powder. While it's less common, the berries may also be sold whole. Ground sumac is a versatile spice with a tangy lemony flavor, although more balanced and less tart than lemon juice. A small sprinkle also adds a beautiful pop of color to any dish.

Sumac is one of the main components in the spice mix za'atar, and is used as a topping on fattoush salad.

The spice was long used in Europe to add tartness to many dishes until the Romans introduced lemons to the area.

Here are more ideas to use it

How To Use Sumac
Sumac is a widely used, essential spice in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. It's used in everything from dry rubs, marinades, and dressing. But its best use is sprinkled over food before serving.

It's great over vegetables, grilled lamb, chicken and fish. Ground sumac also makes a nice, flavorful topping on dips like hummus.

Last edited by Amarante on Sun, Dec 06 2015, 1:36 pm; edited 1 time in total

MagentaYenta

Sun, Dec 06 2015, 1:35 pm

devash1 wrote:

This recipe sounds really good, but I was wondering what sumac is, 1/2 teaspoon ground sumac, plus more for garnish Thanks for posting the recipe

Sumac is a plant in the rhus family that is used around the world as a seasoning. In India it's used to make a drink similar to lemonade. The flavoring of Sumac is a bit tart, in some Indian recipes you can substitute mango powder.

ETA: slow fingers Amarante beat me to it.