1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (or you can use store-bought)
1/3 cup finely minced onion
1/3 cup finely crumbled feta cheese (you can also use Parmesan)
1/4 cup finely minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup finely minced fresh mint
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
Sauce:
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup tahini
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic minced
salt to taste
Hummus:
2 cloves garlic, peeled
15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and well rinsed
1/4 cup tahini sauce
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
olive oil
pomegranate seeds or toasted pine nuts
fresh mint leaves
Preheat oven to 350F. Put all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl. Make sure your egg is pre-beaten. With as little manipulation as possible, combine all the ingredients thoroughly together. The less you work the mixture the more tender your meatballs will be. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. It gets everything evenly incorporated better and quicker than doing by hand. Form the mixture into balls, Use a small 1 and 3/4 inch scoop to make even size. At this point you can refrigerate the meatballs, covered, on a plate, or cook them right away. To cook the meatballs lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the meatballs on the pan. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and measures 160F on an instant read thermometer. While the meatballs are cooking make the sauce and hummus. Mix the yogurt with the tahini, lemon, and garlic until creamy. Add salt to taste. Thin with water to a thick drizzle consistency. To make the hummus, put the chickpeas and garlic in a blender or food processor and pulse until the beans are broken down. Add the tahini, along with the juice of 1/2 the lemon, and run the machine, scraping down the sides as necessary, until the hummus is smooth and silky. Add a little bit of cold water to thin it down if needed. Taste and add more lemon if you like, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the hummus out onto a shallow bowl or platter, and use the back of the spoon to make a spiral pattern on the top. This helps to hold the olive oil. Drizzle liberally with olive oil and top with the warm meatballs. Garnish with mint and pomegranate seeds. Serve the sauce and fresh pita bread on the side. Makes approximately 20 meatballs,