Cumin Lamb Meatball Pitas with Mint & Apricot Dressing
Oh, sod the British weather! For nine days in a row it was the most gorgeous conditions; bright blue skies, warm rays of sunshine with a gentle breeze to cool you down. In a whiff it’s all gone now, replaced by a solid sheet of pale grey, a slight drizzle of rain here and there and icy winds blowing from the north-east, sent with love from Russia.
In Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, where I used to live, weeks would go by in summer without rain and the soil would turn bone-dry and cracks would appear. Out of nowhere you would see a puff of cloud that formed in the distance. Then another and another, until the sky would fill with countless cumulonimbus clouds that look like marshmallows clumsily stuck together. Electricity fills the air and you just know it’s going to rain when the clouds turn a steely, dark grey and hear a rumble far away. After the prolonged heat day in and day out everybody would let out a sigh of relief when the first heavy drop splatters on the dusty earth. (Officially it would be known as a pancake day.) I never quite got used to the storms though. The lightning’s can be quite destructive and it’s not uncommon to hear people complaining about their fried antennae. At times the thunder is quite frightening as well and I’m thankful for not being incontinent. After a very wild storm I usually had to pet and reassure Nelly, my pet elephant, who was always traumatised. She did respond very well to the bamboo we stashed away as treats on such occasions.
Enough weather talk! Since I have no power over it, I might as well pretend it is summer. Therefore I present you these pretty, palatable pitas. If you enjoy eating messily like me, don’t be afraid to top your pita with copious amounts of apricot dressing. When you take a hearty bite of it, the yogurt will ooze lazily over your fingers, which you can suck off eagerly for dessert. Yum. You’ve been warned.
P.S. Anupama from Food-n-More is hosting her second blog event and the theme this time round is sandwiches, feel free to join in. The sandwich will also join the monthly roundup of Margot from Coffee & Vanilla’s Wholesome Lunchbox event.
Cumin Lamb Meatball Pitas with Mint & Apricot Dressing
Preparation: 20 mins – Cooking: 10-15 minutes
Ingredients
- 900g (2 lb) lamb mince
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 45ml (3 tbsp) fresh mint
- 10ml (2 tsp) ground cumin
- 15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
- 225g (8 oz) Greek yogurt
- 8 ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely diced
- 6 pita breads
- ½ cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 head lettuce, finely sliced
Method
- For the meatballs, put the minced lamb, onion, 2 tablespoons of mint, ground cumin, and plenty of seasoning, into a bowl and mix well. Shape the mixture into 2.5cm (1 inch) balls and set aside.
- To make the mint and apricot dressing, put yogurt, apricots and remaining mint into a bowl and mix well. Season to taste and chill until required.
- Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the meatballs on all sides until browned and cooked.
- Meanwhile, put the pitas onto a tray and spray lightly with water. Cover with foil and put into a hot oven or under the grill for 5-6 minutes. Using a serrated knife, split open each pita to form pockets.
- Fill each pita with cucumber, lettuce, meatballs and top with a dollop of mint and apricot dressing. Garnish with fresh mint.
Notes
- When guests are around, I let them fill the pitas themselves. It’s fun to do and they can prepare how they like their pitas, as well as omit anything they don’t like.
- Greek yogurt is best for this dish because of its thick consistency. Natural yogurt is more runny, but could still be used.
Hey Michelle,
Thanks for your very summery sandwich entry.Love Pitta myself and that Apricot and Mint dressing looks very refreshing. I know exactly how you feel about the weather. I have always been used to the same kind of weather in India that you enjoyed in South Africa. The rains were really welcome there when they arrived. Just hope all that sunshine comes back very soon.
Will see you at the Round-up
by Anupama
on 16. May, 2008
Thank you Michelle, beautiful pitas
I will include this post in June edition that will be posted June 15th.
Have a wonderful day, Margot
by Coffee and Vanilla
on 16. May, 2008
oh i love this idea. i am thinking easy work lunch? hmmm …
by andreea
on 16. May, 2008
I am definitely a messy eater like you are Michelle! These look so delicious, I would be very excited to find these in my lunchbox.
by Helen
on 16. May, 2008
+1 on the messy eating. if i haven’t made a bit of a mess, i haven’t really enjoyed my food.
i’m going to go lie on the couch and try to summon the energy to make something this yummy for dinner tonight.
by michelle @ TNS
on 16. May, 2008
What a great pita. I’ve never cooked with minced lamb before, but it looks wonderful. Nice photo.
by renaedujour
on 17. May, 2008