Clevedon Buffalo Co’s Lamb and feta meatballs with lemon and oregano with fresh tomato sauce

Clevedon Buffalo Co’s Lamb & feta meatballs with lemon & oregano with fresh tomato sauce. Photo; Lottie Hedley

Serves 4 - 6 as part of a meal

Meatballs are a family favourite and these delicately spiced ones will be crowd pleaser. Yoghurt and fresh breadcrumbs are the secret ingredients here, keeping the meat tender and moist and the meatballs soft. The crumbled feta throughout the meatballs gives a little burst of flavour in every bite.

For the meatballs

½ cup plain Clevedon Buffalo Co buffalo yoghurt

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 egg

500g lamb mince (or beef or buffalo)

½ teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch chilli flakes

grated zest 1 lemon

100g Clevedon Buffalo Co buffalo feta, plus a little extra for serving

Mix together the yoghurt and breadcrumbs and set aside for 5 minutes. When ready, combine the remaining ingredients except the feta and mix well. Crumble the feta and mix gently through the mix. The mix is quite soft, refrigerate for 30 minutes to leave it to firm up. Pan fry a small piece of meat to check the seasoning. Shape into walnut sized balls and refrigerate for another 30 minutes before frying.

For the tomato sauce

1.2kg fresh tomatoes, (we used Curious Croppers) roughly chopped (or use 2 x 400g tins tomato)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano leaves

½ cup dry white wine (optional)

1-2 teaspoons sugar, (optional)

Cut a cross in the base of the tomatoes and remove the core. Plunge into boiling water for 20-30 seconds, refresh in iced water then remove and discard the skins. Cut tomatoes in half and put a sieve over a bowl to catch the seeds, allowing the juice to drain into the bowl. Discard the seeds.

Heat the oil in a wide saucepan, add the onion and fry until soft and golden, approximately 10 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and fry for a minute, then add the  wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes and juice, season with salt and cook for 20 minutes or until thickened and saucy. If the tomatoes are very acidic you may need to add a little sugar. If you prefer a smoother sauce, then put into a blender, otherwise leave as it is.

To cook and serve

2 tablespoons olive oil

lamb mince meatballs

tomato sauce

50g Clevedon Buffalo Co buffalo feta, crumbled

chopped parsley to garnish

crusty bread, to serve

salad greens, to serve

Heat the oil in a wide pan and brown the meatballs (they don’t need to be cooked through), then add the tomato sauce to the pan and cook covered, over a gentle heat for 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through, if necessary add a little water to the pan if the sauce is drying out. Put into a serving dish and scatter over the extra buffalo feta and parsley. Serve with some bread on the side and salad greens.