Lamb And Feta Meatballs With Tomato Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed with 1/4 tsp salt
4 large tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 lb ground lamb
1 ounce of fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
1 ounce flat leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
1 egg
7 ounces feta
2 ounces pine nuts, lightly toasted
salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the garlic. When the garlic sizzles, quickly add the tomatoes and a generous grinding of pepper. Cook over a high heat for about 4 minutes, until the tomatoes collapse.
In a bowl, mix the lamb and herbs together. Add the egg, season, and use your hands to mix together until it forms a paste. Crumble the feta into medium-sized pieces and add half to the mixture. Form into 20 even-sized balls.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan - large enough to take the meatballs in one layer - until very hot. Add all the balls at once (or cook in 2 batches) and sear on 1 side; shake the pan to turn them all at once. Fry for a total of 6 minutes on high to brown on all sides. Don't worry if some fall apart. Lower the heat to medium, add the tomato and garlic sauce and stir.
To serve, scatter the remaining feta over the meatballs and garnish with the lightly toasted pine nuts and extra mint leaves.