A fun Middle Eastern inspired meal that old and young alike will enjoy. Set out all the components of the dish and let everyone assemble their own wraps.
Makes 26 1 ½” meatballs, about 4-6 wraps
To find other recipes made with ground beef, go to www.thinkbeef.ca
Beef & Lentil Meatballs
½ cup small brown lentils, cooked in 1 cup water until soft. Set aside to cool slightly.
500 g ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, peeled and grated
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
finely grated rind of 1 large lemon
pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the cooled lentils, ground beef, minced garlic, grated onion, cumin, cinnamon, salt, paprika, grated lemon rind and pepper. Mix very well with your hands. Roll the mixture into 1 ½” balls. Set on the cookie sheet, about 1” apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling by thinly slicing ½ a head of leaf or Romaine lettuce. Finely julienne 2 large carrots. Warm four to six 6”-8” pitas in the oven for 2-3 minutes and then wrap in foil to keep warm.
Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
1 cup plain yogurt
½ a long English cucumber, unpeeled, deseeded and grated (about ½ a cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp each chopped fresh dill and chopped fresh mint leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble, fold a whole unsplit pita in the palm of your hand. Place 3-4 meatballs in the centre, then top with a spoonful of the cucumber yogurt sauce and garnish with some lettuce and carrot. Fold over and eat immediately.
