Lamb and parsley meatballs bound with nothing but onion, baked in a tart tomato sauce sharpened with pomegranate molasses. No breadcrumbs, so naturally gluten free.
Prep
25 mins
Cook
40 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£2.20
Difficulty
easy
Traditional kafta contains no binder at all, which is exactly why it suits a gluten free kitchen. The mixture holds together because the onion is squeezed dry and the mince is worked until slightly sticky. Pomegranate molasses in the sauce does what a splash of vinegar might elsewhere, but with more depth.
Grate one onion coarsely, then squeeze it hard in your hands or a clean cloth over the sink until almost no liquid comes out.
Skip this and the mixture will be too wet to hold its shape, which is the usual reason people reach for breadcrumbs.
Mix the lamb mince with the squeezed onion, parsley, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper and 1 tsp of the salt. Knead with your hands for a full 2 minutes until the mixture turns slightly tacky and holds together.
Shape into 16 ovals, roughly the size of a small egg, and chill for 20 minutes while you start the sauce.
Heat the oven to 200C fan. Warm 2 tbsp of the olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan and cook the sliced onion for 8 minutes until soft, then add the garlic for 1 minute.
Stir in the tomato purée, cook for 1 minute, then add the chopped tomatoes, pomegranate molasses, remaining salt and 150ml water. Simmer for 8 minutes.
Toss the potato slices with the last tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt and arrange them over the base of a baking dish. Spoon over half the sauce.
Sit the kafta on top, spoon the rest of the sauce around them, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Uncover and bake for a final 12 to 15 minutes until the meatballs are browned on top and the potatoes are tender. Scatter with toasted pine nuts if using and rest 5 minutes before serving.