Turkish-Style Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce

Last Year's Post: Teriyaki Citrus Chicken Salad
Two Years Ago:   Cabbage and Spring Onion Tart

I'm always interested in foods that crop up in many different cuisines around the world, like flat breads or chicken and rice, or meatballs.  This meatball recipe caught my eye because of the Turkish spices and yogurt sauce, and because it looked lighter and healthier than your average meatballs in red sauce.

I'm not normally a meatball fan because in my experience they tend to be heavy and huge.  I was really pleasantly surprised to find that these were small, moist, tender and light with a really interesting mix of spices.  The real kicker, though, is the yogurt sauce.  Wow, is that good.

The recipe specified using a plain, very tart yogurt which launched me on an internet search that led to White Mountain Bulgarian Yogurt, which is plain and tart and made with just milk and live cultures with nothing else added.  I found it at my local Sprouts store but it's also available in several supermarket chains and many health food stores.  Yes, it's tart, but in a wonderful lemony kind of way and it's absolutely perfect for this dish.  I plan to buy it as my go-to plain yogurt in the future.  If you don't have a tart yogurt, thin a plain Greek yogurt with milk and lemon juice instead.

The combination of the spiced meatballs, creamy yogurt sauce and bright herbs is just wonderful.  I had to force myself to stop eating because I kept wanting just one more meatball, which is saying something from a non-meatball person.  Note that the meat mixture is combined at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours in advance to allow the spices to permeate the meat, so be sure to plan ahead.

I served it with orzo, but rice or couscous would work equally well.  Serve a tomato and cucumber salad on the side.  I'm planning to warm up the leftover meatballs and sauce and serve them in fresh pitas with tomato, red onion, cucumber and feta as sandwiches in the next few days, and can hardly wait.

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Turkish-Style Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce

Serves 4

Note:  the meat mixture needs to be refrigerated for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours in advance so plan ahead.

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1/3 cup milk

1 pound ground turkey or lamb

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup finely diced red onion

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne

3 eggs

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup plain, very tart yogurt such as White Mountain Bulgarian Yogurt (if using Greek-style yogurt, thin it with milk and lemon juice)

1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

2 ounces crumbled feta cheese

½ teaspoon sumac

Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Turmeric, for garnish (optional)

3 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons chopped dill

Cilantro sprigs

Hot cooked rice, orzo, couscous or pita bread, for serving

In a small skillet, toast the ground cumin and coriander for a minute or two, stirring, until fragrant.  Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, pour the milk over the breadcrumbs and allow to soak for 5 – 10 minutes.  Drain the breadcrumbs, then add them to the turkey along with the salt, pepper, onion, toasted cumin and coriander, cinnamon and cayenne.  Use your hands to combine all ingredients gently but thoroughly.  Beat 2 of the eggs and add them to the meat mixture, mixing until incorporated.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 24 hours to allow the seasonings to permeate the meat.

Using wet hands, break off walnut-sized pieces (approximately 1 ounce) of the meat mixture and roll into balls.  Set aside on a baking sheet.  You should have 16-20 meatballs.

Heat the oven to 350d.  Cover one baking sheet with paper towels and a second baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat.  When shimmering, add meatballs in one layer and brown for 2-3 minutes, then gently turn and cook 4-5 minutes more.  (You will probably need to do 2 batches to avoid crowding the pan.)  Transfer the meatballs to the baking sheet with paper towels to blot any extra oil, then to the foil-lined baking sheet.  When all the meatballs have been browned, transfer the foil-lined baking sheet to the oven to finish cooking while you make the sauce.

Using the same skillet, pour off any excess oil and turn the heat to medium-high.  Add broth and bring to a simmer, using a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan.  In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, ½ teaspoon salt, the remaining egg (beaten), and the cornstarch mixture.   Pour yogurt mixture in a thin stream into the hot broth, whisking constantly.  Turn heat down slightly and continue whisking until the yogurt is heated through and slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Do not let mixture boil.

Pour the hot yogurt sauce over meatballs.  Sprinkle crumbled feta, sumac and crushed red pepper on top.  Finish with pinches of turmeric, if using, and sprinkle with mint, dill and cilantro.  Serve immediately with rice, orzo, pita bread or couscous.