These meatballs are a Romain specialty that he learned from his dad and they are always a treat. He grills them up with ratatouille, tzatziki and couscous (so nice they named it twice!). For me growing up, meatballs were always in tomato sauce or in the crockpot with some type of sweet/tangy sauce (which is still delicious), so Romain introduced me to a whole new version of meatballs. He’s the Aladdin to my food world. 😉

Meatballs:

Ground Beef, 80/20, around 1.5 pounds

Ground Lamb, around 1 pound

Onion, finely diced

Garlic, minced

Lemon juice, just a squeeze

Breadcrumbs, about 1/2 cup

1 Egg

Parsley

Spices: Coriander, Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Salt & Pepper

A little flour for coating the meatballs

 

Mix everything except the beef and lamb in a large bowl until combined and then add the meat. Romain likes to break it up with his hands before adding it in, to avoid any big clumps. Add the egg and mix everything by hand gently and try not to over mix because this will make the meatballs dense and tough. Form the meatballs in your hands, making them a little bit bigger than a golf ball. Roll in flour to avoid sticking on the grill. We also brush the grill with a little oil too. Grill them for 3-5 minutes on each side (depending on how hot your grill is).

 

 

Tzatziki 

Greek Yogurt

Cucumber, grated

Garlic, minced

Olive oil, about 2 tablespoons

Lemon juice, one big squeeze

Herbs like mint or parsley, chopped

 

As far as quantities for these ingredients, it will depend on how much you’d like to make and how garlic forward you’d like your food. Grate cucumber and strain it with a paper towel or cheese cloth to try to get as much liquid out of it as possible. Mix with with all the rest of the ingredients and season to taste.

 

 

Ratatouille 

Any mix of chopped veggies you want to cook. Staples for us usually include yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, onion, tomato and garlic. We like to remove the eggplant skin, since it ends up being tough.

Olive oil, about 2 tablespoons

Bay  leaf

 

Over medium heat in larger pot, heat the olive oil, add the garlic and the onions and cook for about 2 minutes, to sweat the onions. Add the rest of the veggies, except the tomatoes, which you’ll want to add last since they have the most moisture. We add a little big of water as well. Just let it cook on the stove for about 20 minutes and you’re good to go!

 

Enjoy! If you make this recipe, let us know what you think! It’s one of my favorites.