The magic of mince

All-new recipes to feed the fam for less!

Give your family fave a Middle Eastern makeover with a few exotic extras. Add lentils, mint, feta and harissa to your mince mixture, simmer the meatballs into succulence and serve with apricot-topped couscous. Divine!

Preparation time 25 mins plus 1 hour chilling

Cooking time 35 mins Serves 4

4 green shallots, plus extra shredded,

to serve

1kg lamb mince

400g can brown lentils, drained,

rinsed

1 free-range egg, beaten

/ cup chopped mint leaves, plus extra

whole and shredded leaves, to serve / cup chopped coriander

/ cup chopped dill

100g Greek feta, finely chopped 2 Tbsp dried harissa spice blend Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground

black pepper, to season

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 cups chicken stock

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Cooked couscous, chopped dried

apricots and lemon wedges, to serve

STEP 1 Thinly slice shallots. Combine mince, green parts of shallots (reserving white parts for sauce), / cup lentils, egg, mint, coriander, dill, feta and 1 / Tbsp of the harissa paste in a large bowl. Season well. Roll level / cupfuls of mixture into balls. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

STEP 2 Heat half of the oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Cook meatballs, turning occasionally, for 7 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Remove from pan.

STEP 3 Add remaining oil to same hot pan. Add white parts of shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until so . Stir in remaining harissa and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute.

STEP 4 Stir in stock and remaining lentils. Bring to a simmer. Carefully return meatballs to pan. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, turning meatballs halfway. Remove meatballs, cover and set aside to keep warm. Simmer sauce, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. Return meatballs to pan. Stir in lemon juice and season.

STEP 5 Sprinkle meatballs with extra shallots and mint leaves. Toss couscous with apricots and extra shredded mint. Serve with lime wedges on the side.