Persian Meatballs in Spicy Spinach Sauce

Persian cooking is made with a delicate balance of sweet, sour and hot spices creating a delicate flavour. The use of fruits, herbs, flowers and ground roots create a subtle aroma filled with flavour. Cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, star of anise and coriander are the essential spices to use in Persian cuisine and each spice has a helpful purpose in maintain a healthy body function.

Ingredients for meat balls serve 4

1 cup breadcrumbs (90g)

1 finely chopped or grated brown onion (100g)

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 egg

2 tbls olive oil (20g)

450g premium beef mince

¼ cup olive oil for frying

Ingredients for sauce

625 g beef stock

½cup orange juice (90gm)

2 tbls lemon juice (20g)

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ ground cinnamon

¼ ground cardamom

2 tbls plain flour

160g baby spinach leaves finely chopped

Method

Place breadcrumbs, onion, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix well together. Blend in egg and olive oil. Add mince beef and mix evenly until all ingredients are well combined to an even texture, a food processor may also be used if preferred. Form mixture into small balls using a tablespoon and place on a plate.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, sauté the meatballs for approx. 5 min in batches and put aside.

Add stock to saucepan and bring to the boil. Mix orange juice, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom and flour together in a bowl, add to the boiling beef stock and combine well. Add the meatballs and simmer, covered for approx. 10 min. Remove lid and add baby spinach leaves, replace lid and simmer for another 3 min until the spinach has wilted. Stir to ensure the spinach is evenly distributed in the sauce and serve on a bed of steamed basmati rice with a sprinkle sesame seeds and some chopped coriander leaves on top.

Note: Persian Advieh is a blend of spices similar to Gharam Masala but milder. The first five below are the spices generally used however for more heat add black pepper, ginger and turmeric. For basic mixture use equal parts of the following: Cardamom seeds, Coriander seeds, Cumin, Cinnamon, Star of Anise, Dried Rose petals, Nutmeg, Limu amani, Angelica, Black pepper, Turmeric, Ginger, Cloves, Sesame seeds, Zaafaran, Pistachio. Combine a favourite blend of spices, grind with a mortar and pestle or in a food processor then store in an airtight container in a cool dark cabinet.