Yotam Ottolenghi’s chicken meatballs with pistachios and spinach recipe

“These Iranian-inspired meatballs don’t sit quietly on the plate. They’re super-bright with plenty of herbs and pistachios, and lightly sweetened with dried fruit,” says chef Yotam Ottolenghi. “The food processor does much of the work for you and the result is a whole meal in itself, served in a shallow bowl, with some flatbreads if you like.”

Chicken meatballs with pistachios and spinach recipe

Ingredients:
(Serves 4–6)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

100g pistachio kernels
8–10 spring onions, roughly chopped (125g)
50g coriander, roughly chopped
20g dill, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1tsp ground turmeric
2½tsp ground cumin
25g panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
400g chicken or turkey mince
105ml olive oil
200g baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
650ml chicken stock
100g orzo
75g dried sour cherries (or cranberries), roughly chopped
2tsp cherry molasses (or pomegranate molasses)
Lemon wedges, to serve
Fine sea salt and black pepper

Make ahead:
The whole dish can be made the day before, ready to
warm through before serving.

Method:

1. Combine the first 7 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Transfer 175g of the mixture to a small bowl and set aside. Keep the remainder in the food processor and add the breadcrumbs, egg, mince, ¾ teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Blitz to combine, then shape into 14 meatballs.

2. Put 2 tablespoons of oil into a large sauté pan on a medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate.

3. Add the remaining 75ml of oil to the pan along with the reserved blitzed mixture and the spinach. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring until wilted, then add the stock, orzo, sour cherries, molasses and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer, add the meatballs and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 minutes, covered, until the meatballs and orzo are cooked through. Leave to stand, covered, for 5–10 minutes, until the orzo has plumped up and thickened the sauce. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

Ottolenghi Simple Too by Yotam Ottolenghi is published in hardback by Ebury Press, priced £30. Photography by Jonathan Lovekin. Available now