Turkish Mini Meatballs with White Bean Hummus and Toasted Pine Nuts

I figured a month was long enough to go between meatball posts. Somehow I have not burned myself out on the meatball yet. They're just so versatile. Italian, Mediterranean, Buffalo, turkey, lamb, pork... However, you want to slice it, they're just delicious. I should be a spokesperson for meatballs. And tacos.

You're drooling, aren't you?

The original recipe calls for lamb, which I'm definitely taking for a spin next time. It's a big deal that I'm saying there will be a next time, meaning this dish was insane. I used a mixture of ground pork and beef, which was tasty, but I feel the lamb would really kick it up a notch.

I am obsessed with Mediterranean cuisine and would prefer to eat pita and dips all day long. This white bean hummus did not disappoint, and if you wanted to go all Sandra Lee on me, you could save a little time and buy white bean hummus or regular hummus from the store. But why would you when all you have to do is put everything into a blender/food processor? Also, much cheaper.

The recipe says to put the meatball ingredients into the food processor after you've made the dip to emulsify it with water. I wasn't sure the blender could handle this so I went the old fashion way and mixed by hand sans water. Still good, but I can see how emulsifying the water into the mixture would make it really silky. I'll remember that for next time.

Mmmmmmm

Now get in there, and make a million TINY meatballs. Mine were probably a little bigger than necessary, but I'd try to get them about one and a half teaspoons. Food is so much cuter in mini form, and that means you can eat more of it so I'm down.

They don't need long to bake since they're so mini. Check after about five minutes to see if they're almost done. They don't need to be entirely cooked through because you'll finish them off on the stove with a little more EVOO, pine nuts, fresh mint and red pepper flakes. 

These are a few of my favorite things...

Serve these bad boys over the dip with some warmed pita wedges, and you've really treated yourself. I'm kicking myself for not remembering the Greek Yogurt, Cucumber and Feta Sauce I made last night and plopping some of that on top too. It's impressive enough for a date night, your roommates or a dinner party (could be an app?) but easy enough to cook for number one. Yourself.

The long list of ingredients might intimidate you, but get over that. Most are things you already have in your pantry so you have no excuse. Unless you just prefer subpar food in which case I'm sad for you.

Turkish Mini Meatballs with White Bean Hummus and Toasted Pine Nuts

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

White Bean Hummus:

2 cans of cannellini beans

1/2 cup of Greek yogurt

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp of tahini/sesame paste

1/4 tsp of ground cumin

1/4~1/2 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of ground black pepper

Meatballs:

1 pound of ground beef, pork and/or lamb (mix and match!)

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 shallot, finely minced

1 tsp of ginger, grated

1 small egg, or 1/2 large egg

1 1/2 tbsp of corn starch

1 tbsp of olive oil

1/2 tsp of ground allspice

1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp of ground cumin

1/4 tsp of ground coriander

1/2 tsp of salt

1/8 tsp of ground black pepper

2 tbsp of water to drizzle in (if using food processor method)

2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle

2 tbsp of pine nuts

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 bunch of fresh mint, chopped

1~2 tsp of chili flakes

Pita 

Directions:

Drain the cannellini beans of any excess water (the dryer the better). Add beans, Greek yogurt, garlic, tahini/sesame paste and cumin in the food processor. Run until a very smooth puree forms. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. You could cook the puree in a pot for a few minutes to get rid of the “can”-taste, but it doesn’t really bother me so I wouldn’t stress it. Set it aside until needed.

If using food processor to mix meatballs, clean the food processor bowl and towel-dry it really well.  Add ground beef/pork, garlic, shallots, ginger, corn starch, olive oil, allspice, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, salt and black pepper.  Pulse until all the ingredients are evenly combined, then keep the machine running on low and start drizzling in 2 tbsp of water.  Keep the food processor running for a few seconds until the mixture become “paste-like”.  You could also do this on a stand-mixer with a pedal-attachment.  

If going old fashioned, mix all meatball ingredients together without the water by hand until fully incorporated.

Preheat the oven on 430ºF.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or cooking spray. Form the lamb mixture into tiny meatballs, approx 1 1/2 tsp each and lay them evenly on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the meatballs start to brown and are set in shape, about 5 minutes, but keep an eye on them. Once the meatballs are set, take them out of the oven. Heat up 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a large non-stick pan on medium-high heat.  Add the meatballs and brown them all over. Add the pine nuts and let them toast until golden brown (this would happen relatively quick!). Then add the minced garlic, fresh mint and chili flakes.  Cook only for another few seconds. Re-season it with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the white bean hummus on a big platter or individual plates. Add the meatballs and pine nuts on top and drizzle more extra virgin olive oil and chili flakes on top.

Serve with hot pitas.

[Recipe adapted from Lady and Pups]