Greek Lamb Meatball Bake
 
I love this recipe. It takes everything I know and love about Greek food and combines it all into one convenient traybake and is super easy to make. It’s important to make sure you make your meatballs about the same size as the tomatoes so that they have enough time to cook and burst to make a delicious tomato sauce. As it cooks, all the ingredients will marry together to create the most amazing flavour. Serve it up with a crumble of feta and some warm pitta breads. It will take you back to the last time you were enjoying the sun on a Greek island.
 
Ingredients
Serves 4
 
500g minced Lamb
2 garlic cloves (chopped or crushed)
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp dried mint
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 lemons cut into quarters
3 red onions, peeled and each cut into six equal pieces
8 tomatoes on the vine (don’t use really big tomatoes as they won’t cook) 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
75g feta cheese
 
Here’s how:
Place the minced lamb into a bowl with the garlic, oregano, mint and breadcrumbs.
Season with a little salt and pepper then mix together with your hands.
To roll the meatballs, use wet hands as it helps form a nice smooth meatball without getting into a mess.This recipe with makes twelve 50g meatballs. Once made, place them onto a non stick deep baking tray or dish.
 
Place the onion pieces into the dish along with the whole tomatoes, don’t cut the tomatoes up.
Drizzle the ingredients with olive oil and season a little.
Add the olives and place in a pre heated oven for 40 minutes at 160c.
When cooked remove from the oven and add the lemon wedges, scatter with parsley and crumble the feta cheese over the top.
I like to serve this dish with homemade tzatziki and warm pitta breads
 
Tzatziki Dip
200g Thick Greek yogurt
1 small garlic clove, crushed or chopped finely
1/2 cucumber, cut down the middle with the seeds removed 1 tsp dried mint
1 handful fresh mint
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
 
Here how:
Spoon the yogurt into a mixing bowl.
To prepare the cucumber cut it long ways and use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds. Then cut into long thin strips. Turn the other way and cut into small diced pieces.
Add the cucumber to the yogurt along with the crushed garlic, dried mint and vinegar.
Chop and add the fresh mint and give the dip a final stir.
Taste and season with a little salt and pepper if required.
Just before serving finish with a drizzle of your best extra virgin olive oil.

Try serving this recipe with a cool glass Greek beer or a red Bordeaux
 
Recipe by Peter Sidwell