Lamb kofta meatballs with courgettes, lentils and rosemary

Meat mains

Lamb kofta meatballs with courgettes, lentils and rosemary

Name: Lamb kofta meatballs with courgettes, lentils and rosemary
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4

Main Serves 4 50 min

This is a simple but tasty dish using mildly spiced lamb kofta meatballs from our butchery. They contain a mix of aromatic herbs and spices such as cumin, coriander, mint and caraway. Lentils can take an age to soften if salt is added as they cook, so season the dish at the end.

Cook's notes

To skin your tomatoes, boil a kettle of water. Cut a small cross in the base of the tomatoes. Put them in a heatproof bowl. Add enough boiled water to cover them. Leave for approx 45 seconds-1 minute or so, just until you can see the skins starting to peel away. Drain, run under cold water, then peel off the skins.

Ingredients

oil for frying e.g. sunflower or light olive
pack of 12 lamb kofta meatballs
2 onions, peeled and finely diced
2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves very finely chopped
2 large or 3-4 small garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or crushed
300g red lentils, rinsed in a sieve
1 litre chicken or veg stock, plus a little extra if needed
2 bay leaves
6 tomatoes, skinned and chopped, or use ½ a tin of chopped tomatoes
4 courgettes, chopped into 2-3cm chunks
a Riverford pack of black olives, pitted
salt and pepper

Method

Prep time: 15 min

Cooking time: 35 min

Step 1
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add the lamb meatballs and fry, turning now and then to lightly brown them, then transfer to a plate.
Step 2
Add a splash more oil, the onion and rosemary to the same pan. Fry on a low heat for 10 mins, stirring now and then to stop it catching. If it looks like catching at any point, add a splash of water.
Step 3
Once the onion is soft and translucent, add the garlic. Stir for 1 min. Add the lentils, meatballs, stock, bay leaves and tomatoes.
Step 4
Bring up to a low boil and cook for 10 mins. Keep an eye on the liquid as it cooks and top up with a little more water if needed. By the end you want a sloppy mixture, not too wet or dry, a little like a lentil dal curry.
Step 5
After 10 mins, add the courgettes and olives to the pan. Cook for 5 mins, or until the lentils are soft and courgettes just tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.