Easy meze plate
A Middle Eastern-inspired starter, ideal for al fresco entertaining
Meze meatballs
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- plus at least 30 mins chilling
- Easy
- Serves 4 as a main meal or 6-8 as part of a larger meze
Skip to ingredients
- 100g breadcrumbs
- 50ml milk
- 400g beef or lamb mince
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- small bunch of flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped
- 1 onioncoarsely grated
- 2 garlic clovesfinely grated
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
To serve
- ½ cucumberchopped into chunks
- 12 cherry tomatoesquartered
- 1 red onionfinely sliced
- hummus
- tzatziki
- 4 pittas
Nutrition: Per serving (4)
- kcal802
- fat39g
- saturates10g
- carbs71g
- sugars10g
- fibre8ghigh
- protein39g
- salt2g
Method
step 1
Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and add the milk. Leave for 5 mins, or until the milk has been absorbed. Add the rest of the meatball ingredients, except the flour and oil. Season well with salt and pepper and mix everything well with your hands, then shape into meatballs a bit larger than a cherry tomato. You should have about 24. Cover and chill the meatballs for at least 30 mins. Will keep covered and chilled for up to 24 hrs.
step 2
When you’re ready to cook, tip the flour into a shallow bowl. Roll the meatballs in the flour to coat, then heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the meatballs for 10-12 mins, rolling them around the pan until nicely browned on all sides and cooked through. To serve, arrange on a platter with some chopped salad made using the cucumber, tomatoes and red onion, and bowls of hummus and tzatziki alongside. Toast the pittas and let everyone make their own meatball kebab, stuffing the meatballs, salad and dips into the pittas.
