Beef Clouds with Middle Eastern Sauce

Inspired by Jamie Oliver and Alex on youtube, this is my fancied up, yet simple meatballs–soft like clouds–in a rich tomatoey middle eastern inspired sauce.

This will serve 4–6 depending on how hungry you are.

Ingredients

Beef Clouds

• 500g beef mince
• 180g breadcrumb paste
• Pinch cumin, pepper and salt

Sauce

• 700ml jar of passata
• 400g can chickpeas
• 400g can lentils
• 2tsp garlic (paste is ok)
• 1tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 3 big ass tsp of Za'atar (a Turkish spice blend, use Oregano if you can't find it)
• 2 tsp Harissa paste (it’s near the spices in Coles, lasts forever and tastes delicious). Add more if you like spicy.
• 2 tbsp Woichester sauce
• 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar
• 1 Beef stock cube
• parsley to server

Breadcrumb Paste

• 90g breadcrumbs
• 90g greek yoghurt

Method

Clouds

1. Start the clouds

   Blitz the crap out of the beef cloud ingredients in a blender until it looks like the inside of a sausage

2. Rolln

   Roll into a number of balls (big or little, whatever floats your boat)

3. Fry the clouds

   Fry clouds briefly in a little oil a few at a time until they are brown on the outside, still raw in the middle though - (Due to the breadcrumb content they may burn easily so don’t push them too hard or it’ll taste like a bbq sausage someone forgot about) - They are ok if they are raw inside still.

4. Set aside

   Set aside your half cooked beef clouds on a plate

Sauce

1. Get saucy - fry onion

   Fry onion until soft. (probs min 5 mins. People tend to under cook onions). Add a tiny bit of water if they look like they will burn. I really don't like raw onion.

2. Add garlic and cook for a min

3. Add spices

   Grind cumin and corry and pepper (if it’s not) and add it now.

4. Add Harrisa

   Once the spices are smelling add 2 tsp of Harrisa paste.

5. Add zaatar

   Add 2 tsp of the zaatar last, you don’t want it to fry much at all.

6. Hit the pan with the Woichy and Red Vinegar

   Go in fast with a good whack of woichester sauce and red wine vin. Probs a couple tbs of each. Let it cook down. You’ll know it’s done when the aggressive vinegar smell goes away and the liquid reduces

7. Chickpeas - juice and all

   Once reduced throw in the chickpea can juice and all, stock cube and lentils (no juice). Stir

8. Add passata and bring to the boil

   Add passata, rinse the jar and put a little bit of that jar water in too. Bring to the boil over medium heat

9. Reduce heat and gently add the clouds

   Reduce heat if it’s out of control and add in clouds gently (they make break up if you are rough at this stage)

10. Cook, add herbs

    Cook for 5 mins. Add some chopped parsley. Add another tsp of za’atar now too (this is the secret). Then cook for another 10m and we are done!

11. Serve with Greek yog and cous cous

    Serve with a doulop of Greek yog over some cous, drink some wine and call it a day.

Serve with Greek yoghurt and cous cous. It is super hearty and yum.

Enjoy!