Ingredients
2 lbs. ground lamb or veal
2 eggs - lightly beaten
2/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 shallots, grated or finely minced
1 garlic clove - pressed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. toasted pignoli nuts
olive oil for frying meatballs
1 pint plain yogurt
1 hothouse (English) cucumber
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp. salt
pinch ground pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. EACH chopped fresh parsley and mint
Preparation
In a small fry pan over low heat, toast the pignoli nuts, stirring often, taking care not to let them burn. When golden, remove them from the pan & set aside. When cool, process 1/4 cup in a food processor until finely chopped. Save the other 2 Tbsp. for garnish.
Place the ground meat in a large bowl, add beaten eggs, breadcrumbs, ground nuts, shallots, garlic, parsley, salt & pepper and mix well. Roll into 1 inch meatballs. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large non-stick frypan to medium-high. Add meatballs and cook until all are nicely browned.
Place yogurt in a strainer lined with a paper towel or coffee filter. Place over a bowl and let drain in refrigerator at least 4 hours or as long as overnight.
Grate the cucumber using the large holes of a box grater. Mix cucumber, drained yogurt, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, mint and parsley and mix well. The sauce will keep 2 - 3 days in the refrigerator.
At serving time, bring tzaziki sauce to room temperature. Heat the meatballs in a frypan or microwave. Spread the sauce evenly on a plate or decorative platter, stick each meatball with a toothpick and place them on the sauce. Garnish with remaining pignoli.
