LAMB MEATBALLS WITH LENTILS & CUMIN

Preparation 25 minutes Cooking 35 minutes Serves 4 There’s plenty of room for experimentation with this recipe. Try adding some dried chilli flakes to the sauce for an extra kick.

olive oil, for greasing 100g red lentils 300g lean lamb mince 1 onion, grated 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp each dried oregano and thyme 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp fennel seeds 400g couscous FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE 1 tbsp olive oil 1 red onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped ½ tsp each ground cumin and smoked paprika 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp tomato purée 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 400g tin chopped tomatoes 1 small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped 1 small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

1 Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6 and grease a baking sheet generously with olive oil. 2 Cook the lentils according to the packet instructions. Drain well and leave to cool. 3 Tip the lentils into a bowl with the lamb, onion, garlic, egg, herbs and spices. Season generously and combine to form a very wet mixture. 4 Roll the mixture into balls (grease your hands with a little oil), about 3cm in diameter, and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and cooked through. 5 Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion over a low-medium heat for about 10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and spices and fry until toasted and fragrant. Add the tomato purée and cook for a minute, then the vinegar and cook for another minute. Tip in the tomatoes and a ladleful of water and simmer for 20 minutes until thickened. 6 Prepare couscous according to packet instructions. 7 Carefully add the lamb meatballs and most of the fresh herbs to the tomato sauce. Serve on top of the couscous, garnished with remaining herbs.