Lamb Meatball Skewers with Dip

Recipe Date: November 17, 2020
Difficulty: Easy
Measurements: Imperial (US)

“For this week’s pairing of Amulet Red 2018, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre (GSM), I  went for balance of intensity of flavour after being inspired by our staff BBQ which was roasted leg of lamb flame seared on my Kamado Joe charcoal grill known as the Red Dragon.

This week’s kicked-up snack is lamb meatball skewers with a dipping sauce which is the perfect pairing for this big and bold wine. (It can be modified to being a sandwich with the addition of a gluten free bun, or Portuguese roll and some shredded iceberg lettuce, use the dipping sauce as a spread.) The gluten-free and lactose-free recipe follows.” – Eliana Bray, Roche Wines Executive Manager and ZWineNinja Consulting

Ingredients

  • 500g ground lamb
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • ½ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs (I use brown rice one, but you can substitute fine breadcrumbs)
  • ½ tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 egg
  • Grated zest and juice of ½ lime
  • ½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Ground pepper to taste
  • 8-12 wooden bamboo skewers soaked in water
  • Z Dipping Sauce:
  • 1 cup lactose free yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
  • 1 tsp. grated lemon zest or ½ a lemon, 1 tsp of freshly squeezed juice
  • ½-1/3 cup of Jerabees Honey (or local honey)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. In a skillet, add olive oil to the pan and add the onions and garlic when the surface starts to shimmer.
  2. Cook until the onions are translucent, and then place all the ingredients in a bowl with the ground lamb and mix. The consistency should be such that you can easily form meatballs, if it is too soft, add a little bit more of the breadcrumbs.
  3. Roll the mixture into meatballs and thread onto the skewers, preheat your grill or BBQ burners to high
  4. Cook the skewers on the grill or BBQ for approximately 6 minutes per side or until the internal temp is 160F
  5. For the sauce, add all the ingredients into the bowl, mix well, and taste. I ended up adding a little bit more of the honey to balance with the acid of the lemon.

Open your bottle of Amulet Red, decanting or aerating if you can, grab your Wine Not Experience pantry items and Steak Pizza and join in on the fun!

As mentioned above, if you wanted to make these into fun sandwiches, just add the buns, lettuce and use the dipping sauce as your base.

Cheers and Enjoy!

Eliana Bray (aka ZWineNinja)