TO FEED A CROWD

Spiced lamb meatballs with sumac-roasted cauliflower and pomegranate

Serves 4

Think about the best lamb kofta or kebabs you’ve ever had and you’ll have an idea of how flavoursome this dish is. The warming spices in the lamb work perfectly with the pomegranate and lemony cauliflower. If you have some gram or chickpea flour, it adds a really silky texture to the finished meatballs, but don’t worry if you don’t have any – they’re still gorgeous.

For the meatballs

— 400g minced, freerange lamb

— 1 small onion,

roughly chopped

— 1 tsp mild chilli powder

— 1 tsp ground coriander

— 1 tsp ground cumin

— 1 tsp sea-salt flakes

— 1 free-range egg

— 2 heaped tsp gram

flour (optional)

— 15g fresh mint leaves

For the rest

— 1 large cauliflower, cut into medium-sized florets, plus the leaves

— 3 heaped tsp sumac

— 2 tsp ground cumin

— 1 tsp sea-salt flakes

— 1 tbsp olive oil

— zest and juice

of 1 lemon

— 1 tbsp extra-virgin

olive oil

— 1 pomegranate,

seeds only

— a handful of flat-leaf

parsley leaves, chopped

— 1 tbsp pomegranate

molasses (optional)

— couscous or flatbread,

to serve Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.

Tip all the meatball ingredients into a food processor and blitz briefly until everything comes together evenly.

Tip the cauliflower florets and leaves, spices, salt and olive oil into a large roasting tin and mix until everything is evenly spiced.

With damp hands

(I keep a bowl of water nearby), take walnut-sized pieces of the lamb mix and roll them into small meatballs. Dot them among the cauliflower pieces as you go – you should have 20-22.

Transfer to the oven and roast for 25 minutes, until the tops of the meatballs are evenly coloured and the cauliflower is cooked through. Whisk the lemon zest, juice and extra-virgin olive oil together, drizzle this over the tray bake, then scatter over the pomegranate seeds and parsley. Drizzle over the pomegranate molasses (if using) and serve hot with flatbreads or couscous.