California Walnut ‘Meatballs’ with Mediterranean Couscous & Parsley Dressing by Somi Igbene
Course dinner, Main Course
Keyword meatballs
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Calories 767kcal
Ingredients
For the walnut ‘no meatballs’
105gCalifornia walnuts
240gcooked chickpeas
50gpanko breadcrumbs or all-purpose flour
13gchopped fresh parsley
2tablespoonsolive oil
1tablespoonground cinnamon
1tablespoonground cumin
1eggor flax egg
2medium shallotsfinely chopped
2garlic clovesfinely chopped
½teaspoonsalt
For the couscous
200gcouscous
2tablespoonsolive oil
3tablespoonspomegranate seeds
Fresh mintlarge handful, finely chopped
Salt to taste
For the parsley dressing
50gparsleyroughly chopped
4tablespoonsolive oil
1large shallotroughly chopped
1fat garlic cloveroughly chopped
1green chillisliced
3tablespoonslemon juice
Saltto taste
Instructions
California Walnut balls
Put all the ingredients for the meatballs into a food processor and pulse until the ingredients just combine. Don’t over-process or you’ll lose the texture of the walnuts.
Tip the mixture into a large bowl. Take around a tablespoon of the mix and roll between the palm of your hands to form a ball. If the mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs or flour. You should get approximately 20 large balls.
Refrigerate the balls for at least 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 220C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper then arrange the balls on the tray and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the balls halfway through cooking. Set aside and keep warm.
Couscous
Put dry couscous in a large dish or bowl. Add olive oil and salt and mix well to combine. Add boiling water just to cover the top of the couscous. Cover with cling film and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Add fresh mint and pomegranate seeds. Mix well to combine then set aside and keep warm.
Parsley dressing
Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a food processor. Pulse to combine then set aside.
To serve, put couscous on a plate. Top with walnut balls and parsley dressing. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice and black pepper if you desire. Enjoy!