Greek Meatballs with Lemon Couscous and Feta Yogurt Dressing

I think this is my son's favorite meal now. It has become the standard by which all other meals are now judged, as far as he is concerned. You should hear it: "Mmmm...Mom this is really good! I almost like it as much as the Greek Meatballs!"

This recipe comes to you curtesy of our subscription to Cuisine at Home. It is a great magazine, but alas, I may let the subscription go, because I'm trying to eat healthier. Sigh.

I made this with ground turkey instead of ground chuck. I used green olives instead of Kalamata olives. Not that I prefer green to kalamatas, but I can't get kalamatas around here without going to a specialty store. Yeah, we ain't too cultured 'round these here parts.

I served the meal along with a salad of diced cucumber, parsley, and green onion.




Greek Meatballs with Lemon Couscous and Feta Yogurt Dressing

Greek Meatballs
Makes 12 meatballs; total time: 1 hour

1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk (whole or 2%)
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbles
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons scallions minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 lb ground chuck
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted, halved
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 cups tomatoes, quartered, or 2 cans whole tamatoes (28 oz each)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine crumbs, milk, feta, parsley, scallions, salt, oregano, and egg in a mixing bowl.
Stir in the ground chuck and mix lightly but well. Shape the mixture into balls about 2" in diameter.
Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high. Add meatballs and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm.
Add olives, garlic, and pepper flakes to the pan and saute 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, return meatballs to the pan, and simmer 5 minutes, or until cooked through.
Serve over couscous, topped with feta dressing and garnished with cucmber and lemon zest.

Lemon Couscous
Makes 2 cups; total time: 10 minutes

3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup dry plain couscous

Bring broth, lemon juice, butter, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat, add couscous, stir and cover. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Feta Yogurt Dressing
Makes about 1/2 cup; total time: 5 minutes

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Hungarian Meatballs

Everyone really liked this recipe. Dylan and Hannah definitely loved it!

I was supposed to serve it with couscous and peas, but I served it with rice and peas instead. I'm thinking egg noodles would be good too.

The meatballs are supposed to be threaded onto skewers, kabab style. I didn't bother.

When I make meatballs, I use the leanest ground beef I can find. Because all the extra ingredients (like bread or crackers) in the meatballs just soak up the fat, they will be much more fattening if you use a higher fat ground beef. I used a 93/7% ground beef, I think.

The recipe calls for wine, but I didn't have any on hand, so I just increased some of the other liquids in the recipe. We only use wine for cooking, and so we really don't keep much on hand. I've never been a drinker, and so going to the liquor store is just so foreign to me, lol! It just feels weird and I have to either force myself to go or talk dh into going.


Meatball Kebabs
with creamy paprikash sauce

Makes 18-24 meatballs, 3 cups sauce
total time: 1hour

For the meatballs-
Combine; shape;
1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground criander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup milk (whole)
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Brown in; Skewer:
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce-
Sweat; Add;
2 cups red or yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 cup onion, sliced
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
Deglaze with; off heat, stir in:
1/2 cups dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup tomatoes, seeded and chopped
salt to taste
1/2 cup sour cream
Serve with; Garnish with:
Couscous and peas, halved kalamata olives, chopped fresh parsley, and lemon wedges

Combine ingredients (except the oil) for the meatballs, then shape into 2" balls using a scoop or spoons (yeah, right, I just used my hands, lol!).
Brown meatballs in batches in oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick saute pan coated with nonstick spray. Saute 5-8 minutes (do not cook though), transfer to a plate, and cool. Thread 3 meatballs on 6"-long skewers and set aside.
Sweat the peppers and onion for the sauce over medium heat in the same pan used for the meatballs (add more oil if needed). Cook until softened, 8-10 munutes; add paprika and garlic, and cook 2 minutes, stirring often.
Deglaze with wine and simmer until reduced by half, 2-3 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes, and salt; cook 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened. Return skewers to the pan, cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked, 4-5 minutes. Transfer skewers to a plate.
Off heat, stir the sour cream into the sauce until incorporated.
Serve meatballs and sauce over couscous garnished with olives, parsley and lemon.

This was another great recipe brought to you by the folks at Cuisine at Home.