Cooking the Cover

It has been SO LONG since I participated in a BA #cookthecover

I had a really long streak there for a while.  Maybe even a year straight?  But that was back when I had one child.  Ah simpler times.  😛

To be honest, Bon Appetit kinda fell out of my favor.  They weren’t coming out with recipes I wanted to cook.

I am generally pretty optimistic when it comes to bookmarking things.  I am willing to branch out with ingredients I have never used.  And techniques I’m unfamiliar with.  But where I draw the line is with time.  If I see that a recipe is going to take all afternoon I don’t even bother.  Doesn’t matter if it’s the best kouign amann on the planet, it’s not realistic for my life right now.  Likewise I really dislike dirtying a bunch of things.  I don’t want to do the food processor, the oven, the stove, and four bowls for a single meal.  I just don’t.  Typically I look for recipes that are close to my wheelhouse but with little twists that I wouldn’t think of on my own.  New ways to spice the same produce I already love.  Different sauces and dressings.  Etc. For me to go through an entire magazine without finding a single thing that interested me!?  Well that says something.  I read a bunch of food blogs and have a major cookbook addiction, so that’s pretty much where I have been finding inspo lately.

But then this month’s BA cover got me revved up.  Spicy meatballs with raisin pesto?!  With lamb?  Hmmmm…

I’d been pondering cooking with lamb ever since getting Ottolenghi’s cookbook.  He also has a lamb meatball recipe that I’d been eyeing.

I ended up combining the two recipes a bit.

The BA recipe calls for 1 lb ground lamb, but I didn’t think that would be enough for all four of us.  That’s another issue I ALWAYS have with Bon Appetit.  If their recipes say “serves 4” it means it serves two in our family.  Their portions are just way off.  Or we eat a lot.  Anyway…rather than doubling the lamb I went the route of Ottolenghi’s recipe which calls for 1 lb ground lamb and 1 lb ground beef.  Aside from that I just doubled the BA recipe though.

For the sake of FODMAPs I used GF panko and garlic infused olive oil.

I also made the sauces from both the BA recipe and the Ottolenghi one.  Because you need the fresh herby pesto and rich Earthy tahini sauce to balance each other out.

Really I’ve been craving tahini.  Gena’s dressing was mmmmm but it didn’t quiiiiiite quench my thirst.  I need more sesame!

What was really surprising was how much I liked the pesto!  At the ripe old age of 35 I am JUST NOW learning to love pesto.  I like herbs, but I don’t love them.  And if I’m being honest, I leave them out of recipes sometimes because I think it’d be a waste to buy mint to use a few leaves and then what do I do with the rest??  I’m cheap and I hate food waste.  There, I said it.  If I had a massive herb garden it would be perfect, but I can’t grow my own everything.  At least for now.  Garden goals 😉

This pesto had mint and parsley and golden raisins (!!!).  The golden raisins were brilliant!  Every once in a while you’d get this sweet kick and with the punchy of herbs it was SO GOOD!  I ate the remaining portion at the end of the meal plain.  With a spoon.  Yes I did.  I also slurped some of the leftover tahini sauce too.  This is a judgement free zone right?

Baking meatballs is nice because you can do it in advance all at once and then dinner is done and ready when you come home from gymnastics with kids chomping at the bit for food.

I served it with pita bread for the wheat eaters among us.

This dish was a big success.  We all liked the meatballs and I can promise I will be making this again.

Serving one of two three.

There are a few meatballs leftover, but lucky for me (or not?) Kyle is out of town all week so I get them to myself.