Lamb Meatballs in Tahini (Lamb Siniya) by Amit de Leeuw

When I arrived at work one Friday a few jobs ago, just in time for lunch after a morning meeting in The Hague, I was greeted by a bouncing ball of enthusiasm in the shape of Amit. Amit was my partner in crime when it came to food. Not that food wasn't a common theme at our office; I doubt there was single (non-work related) subject we spent an equal amount of time talking and fantasising about. But Amit and I were particularly good at it. What I loved most was that neither of us felt much constrained by the boundaries of convention. I remember one time when we ate nothing but grapes and (five types of) cheese for lunch - for two days straight, because we’d brought so much we couldn’t finish it all in one sitting.

A few days earlier, Amit had come to work raving about tahini meatballs. That evening, he went home and made them, and he’d made plenty to spare so he brought me some for Friday lunch. Even better, he e-mailed me the recipe so I could make them myself and share it with you.

Siniya is a casserole dish of minced meat in tahini sauce. The name of the dish comes from the ceramic pot used to bake the ingredients - although pyrex works just as well. 

Ingredients (serves 4):

Tahini sauce

1 cup raw tahini (you can find it in Turkish shops in the Netherlands, but the Albert Heijn also sells it)

½ cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup cold water 

½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1/2 clove finely chopped garlic (or 1 whole clove, if you like it garlicky)

pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Minced meat

300gr minced lamb

300gr minced lean beef (not more, or you lose the taste of the lamb)

1 big onion, chopped

½ bunch of the parsley, finely chopped

Spices:

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp baharat (or more cinnamon, or even all spice / 5 spices)

1 egg

hot pepper to taste (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Extras:

150g tomatoes, sliced (or cherry tomatoes, halved)

4 shallots, cut in half (you can also use 1-2 medium-sized onions)

handful of pine nuts (I ran out, so left these out).

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Make the tahini sauce by stirring all the ingredients for the sauce together for a few minutes until you get a smooth mix. Set aside.

3. Mix up all the minced meat ingredients (including the spices) until you get one big meatball. Shape the meat into small meatballs (it should make 15-20), and fry them in a skillet for 1-2 minutes on each side to seal them up and lose excess juice. When done, place them on a paper towel.

4. Place the meatballs, tomatoes and onions in an oven-proof dish and bake for 5-10 minutes.

5. Remove the dish and add the tahini. Don't worry if it doesn't cover everything perfectly. Place the dish back in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the tahini takes on a golden colour (it will solidify and 'crack' slightly - this is good).

6. Remove from the oven and wait for about 20 minutes before serving - the dish will cool down slightly, and as it does, the tahini will continue to thicken.

7. Optional: sprinkle pine nuts on top.

8. Serve with rice, couscous, pearl-barley, buckweat, etc. (Amit's tip: whole grains go best).