Turkish-Style Lamb and Shrimp Patties with Tomato-Yogurt Sauce

I saw a recipe awhile back in Bon Appetit that featured small kebabs made with ground lamb and chopped shrimp, which the author described as something of a Middle Eastern take on "surf and turf."   The idea sounded different but nonetheless pretty good to me, but rather than make little appetizer-sized skewers, I went with something a bit larger.

In terms of technique, there isn't really much to these.  Add some chopped shrimp to the lamb, toss in some grated onions, herbs and seasonings, shape the mixture into whatever shape you like (I went with long shapes, which would fit nicely on a pita bread, but circular patties would work just fine, too).   Then toss them on the grill and cook them until they're cooked through.  The result:  a rich, juicy, delicious taste treat like nothing you've ever had. 

As I said, these would go great on a pita, but I didn't have any pita around, so I served them up with a tasty yogurt sauce.   They were just fine that way, too.  On or off the pita, this surf/turf combo is a winner.

Turkish-Style Lamb and Shrimp Patties with Tomato-Yogurt Sauce

yield - 6-8 servings

2 1/2         teaspoons minced garlic
2               teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/4         pound ground lamb
1               pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined and
                   coarsely chopped
1/2            cup + 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/3            cup grated red onion
2               teaspoons ground cumin
1/2            teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2            teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1               cup plain Greek-style yogurt
1               small tomato, diced
1               tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1               teaspoon chopped fresh mint
                 additional kosher salt and black pepper
1               tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Sprinkle the kosher salt over the minced garlic, smearing together to make a paste.  Mix garlic paste with lamb, shrimp, cilantro, onion, cumin, red pepper flakes and black pepper.  Shape the lamb mixture as desired.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Mix together yogurt, tomato, lemon juice, mint and additional kosher salt and black pepper in a bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. 

Remove the lamb patties from the fridge.  Prepare grill with a medium-hot fire and direct- and indirect-heat areas.   Brush the lamb patties on both sides with olive oil, then grill over direct heat for 6 minutes.  Turn the patties, grill on the other side an additional 6 minutes, then move them to the cooler part of the grill and cook until cooked through (another 5-6 minutes).  Serve the lamb-shrimp patties with the yogurt sauce.

Lamb Chops with Hot Pepper Cherry Sauce

Since the last batch of grilled lamb chops I made turned out so great, I was eager to grill up some more lamb chops, this time with a different recipe.   I decided I wanted a mix of sweet, fruity and spicy flavors, but since covering something with a sweet sauce and then grilling it is pretty much guaranteed to result in inedibly charred food, I decided I'd season the chops a bit, grill them, then serve the chops with a spicy-sweet sauce.  

Considering the fresh fruit options at the local market, I decided to use cherries in my sauce.  I have plenty of home-grown hot peppers on hand, and knew one of those would give the sauce some bite on hand.  All that remained was to come up with a preliminary recipe and try it out.

I'm happy to report that this recipe worked out great.  The lamb chops cooked up tender and juicy, just like the last batch had, and when topped with the thick, savory-sweet-spicy sauce, they were just plain delicious.  The different seasonings in the sauce provided it with a wonderfully rich blend of flavors.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.

I wrote the recipe below for eight chops, but I cooked only four, which resulted in me having a lot more sauce than I needed.  If you prefer to cook up a smaller number of chops, halve the ingredients accordingly. 

Lamb Chops with Hot Pepper Cherry Sauce

yield = 4 servings

8               lamb loin or rib chops
1               tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3/4            teaspoon kosher salt
1/2            teaspoon freshlyground black pepper
1               tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4            cup grated red onion
1               serrano chili, seeded and minced
1/2            cup port wine
1 1/2         cup pitted fresh cherries
1               cup low-sodium chicken broth
2               tablespoons honey
1               teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
                 freshly-ground black pepper and table salt,
                        to taste
1               tablespoon cornstarch

Dry lamb chops with paper towels.   Brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and pepper.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.   Prepare grill for two-level (direct and indirect heat) grilling, medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, heat butter to bubbling in a medium saucepan.  Add onion and minced serrano and cook until the onion is sotftened.  Add port and cook down until the liquid s reduced by half.  Add cherries, chicken broth, honey and thyme.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to high simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced and somewhat thickened. 

When the grill is ready, grill chops over direct heat for 4 minutes, turning once.  Transfer chops to the cooler part of the grill and cook for 7 more minutes, turning once.  Transfer lamb chops to a serving dish and tent with foil.  Let rest 5 minutes.

While the lamb chops rest, dissolve cornstarch in two teaspoons water.  Stir cornstarch mixture into cherry mixture until thickened.   Transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve lamb chops topped with portions of the cherry sauce. 

Grilled Garlic-Rosemary Lamb Chops

Recently I picked up several packages of wonderful-looking lamb loin chops.  Along with rib chops, loin chops are probably the most delicious part of a lamb, with a meaty flavor and steak-like texture.  They aren't as tough as some other cuts, so they don't take a long time to cook, but they are surrounded thick fat that tends to give off a lot of smoke if they are broiled, baked or sauteed.   Together, those qualities make grilling the cooking method of choice for lamb loin chops.

Because of their excellent flavor - think prime steak - loin chops don't really require a lot of seasoning to be quite tasty.  I went really simple:  I combined some olive oil, some minced garlic and some chopped fresh rosemary, brushed that on both sides of the chops then sprinkled them liberally with salt and pepper.  After letting them sit at room temperature for about a half-hour, I tossed them on the grill, which was prepared for a two-level fire.  I cooked them for a few minutes on the hot side of the grill to lightly brown them and give them nice grill marks, then moved them to the cooler side to finish cooking without becoming overdone on the outside. 

The results were exceptional.   Tender, juicy, medium-rare lamb, nicely seared on the outside and seasoned to enhance the meaty flavor without overwhelming it.   Juli thought this was the best-tasting lamb she'd ever had.   I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it was certainly high up on the list. 

Lamb loin chops aren't cheap, but if you use this recipe and grill them, I think you'll find them well worth the price.

Grilled Garlic-Rosemary Lamb Chops

yield = 2 servings

4              lamb loin chops, about 1 1/4 inch thick
2              tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1              tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/2           teaspoon minced garlic
                kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Combine olive oil, rosemary and garlic in a small bowl.  Brush the olive oil mixture on both sides of the lamb chops, then sprinkle both sides with pepper and kosher salt.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow the chops to marinate for 30 minutes (or up to 3 hrs, if refrigerated).  Meanwhile, prepare grill for two-level grilling.

Grilling Tip:  When cooking fatty cuts of meat like
lamb loin chops, be prepared for rendered fat to
cause flare-ups, as shown above.  Flare-ups can
ruin a good cut of meat by overcooking it on the
outside, making the exterior tough before it is done
on the inside.  Have a spray bottle of water ready
to put out fires as needed.

When the grill is ready, arrange the chops on the hot (direct heat) part of the grill.  Grill 2 minutes per side, then transfer the chops to the cool side of the grill (indirect heat).  Cook for 6-7 minutes, turning once.  Remove the chops from the grill.  Cover with foil and let rest 5 minutes, then serve.

Lamb Curry with Chilis and Mint

I got a meat grinder/sausage maker for my birthday this year, but I haven't yet had an opportunity to try it out.  I had planned to grind up some lamb to make a type of ground-meat kabob on the grill sometime this weekend, but the weather unfortunately did not cooperate.    It was too wet for me to enjoy standing outside tending the grill, but I still had lamb on hand and needed to do something with it.   No other great idea came to mind, so I fell back on my default "when in doubt..." solution and made a curry. 

I decided I'd make a lamb curry featuring hot chili peppers, but also including an ample helping of mint, so the coolness of the mint would balance out the heat of the chilis.   I also selected a mix of curry spices heavy on the coriander, which I knew would go well with lamb.  The result was a curry unlike any I've ever made, or had.  Marinating the lamb in lemon juice and spices, browning it in hot oil then stewing it for a long time in a rich, flavorful gravy resulted in the meat being tender and boldly-flavored.  The dish was hot, but not overpoweringly so, and the lemon juice and tomato added a pleasant bit of acid bite, mellowed out by the addition of yogurt and the mint at the end.

I served up this lamb curry with some baked spiced cauliflower (which I'll talk more about in another post), some vegetable samosas we purchased at Maria's Grocery, a couple different sorts of chutney, basmati rice and naan.  This made for a very satisfying meal with ample leftovers for next week.

This recipe is a definite keeper.  It is a bit on the spicy side, so it may not be the best choice for any of our readers that aren't familiar with, and fond of, Indian-style curries, but for those who like curries, or who simply appreciate a bit of heat, I recommend this recipe if you want something delightfully different. 

Lamb Curry with Chilis and Mint

yield = 6 servings

2              lbs lean lamb (leg, shoulder, etc.), cut into
                  bite-size pieces
1              teaspoon turmeric
1/2           teaspoon table salt
2              tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3              tablespoons vegetable oil
1              large onion, chopped
2              jalapeno peppers, thinly-sliced
2              tablespoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
2              teaspoons minced garlic
2              teaspoons coriander powder
1              teaspoon ground cumin
2              bay leaves
1              cinnamon stick
1              can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
2              cups low-sodium chicken broth
6              ounces plain yogurt
1/4           cup chopped fresh mint leaves

Add the lamb, salt, turmeric and two tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 a fresh lemon) to a bowl.  Stir thoroughly and let sit for about 30 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.   When the oil is shimmering, add 1/2 of the lamb and cook, stirring often, until browned on all sides.  Transfer the cooked lamb to a clean bowl and repeat with the remainder of the lamb pieces.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven and heat for 1 minute.  Add the onion and jalapeno and cook until the onion has softened and started to brown (about 6 minutes).  Add the ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin and bay leaves and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.

Add the cinnamon stick and stir in the tomatoes, scraping along the bottom of the pot to remove any cooked-on bits.  Heat to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for one hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid for the last 10 minutes of cooking time.

Remove from heat and stir in the yogurt.   Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the mint.  Serve with basmati rice and naan or other Indian-style bread.

Braised Lamb Chops with Carrots and Red Wine Sauce

One of the supermarkets we shop at recently had some really wonderful-looking lamb shoulder chops.  When I saw them, I wasn't certain how I was going to prepare them, but they looked too good to pass up and I was confident I'd come up with something good to do with them, so I picked some up. 

Reading up on lamb chops, several sources agreed this particular cut of lamb was best cooked by braising.  From there, it was pretty easy to toss together a recipe that combined various seasonings and other ingredients that tend to go well with lamb and which would handle braising well, most notably red wine and tomatoes.   Since I'd be using a fair bit of liquid, I decided to also toss in some carrots, which would absorb some flavors from the braising liquid.  For best flavor and presentation, I also decided to saute the lamb chops briefly before braising them. 

These turned out really, really good.   I have to admit that the lamb chops were a tiny bit on the chewy side, which means I probably overcooked them by a couple minutes, but they were full of flavor.  The braising liquid thickened into a rich, tasty sauce with which to top the lamb, and the carrots provided a nice touch of sweetness. 

I served the chops up with Red Potatoes with Rosemary Butter, which I've written about previously.  They turned out great, just as they have before.

This isn't the sort of meal I prepare often, but it certainly made for a nice change of pace.

Braised Lamb Chops with Carrots and Red Wine Sauce

yield = 2 servings

2           round bone shoulder lamb chops, trimmed of
              excess fat
             salt and freshly ground black pepper
2           tablespoons olive oil
4           carrots, peeled and quartered
1           small onion, sliced very thin
1           teaspoon minced garlic
1           teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1           teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced fine
1/2        cup red wine (I used a merlot)
1/4        cup low-sodium chicken broth
1           can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes (with liquid)

Dry the lamb chops with paper towels and sprinkle on both sides with pepper and salt.  Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the lamb chops and saute to brown on both sides, 5-6 minutes total. 

While the lamb chops are sauteeing, put the carrots in a medium bowl along with 1/4 cup water.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 5 minutes.  Drain carrots and set aside.

Remove the lamb chops from the skillet to a plate.   Add 1 tablespoon olive oil (unless there is more than a tablespoon of fat and oil in the skillet; if there is much more than that, drain off extra and do not add olive oil).   Saute the onions until soft, 4 minutes, then add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and sautee 30 seconds.  Add the red wine and simmer until reduced by half, using a spoon to scrape up browned bits on the bottom of the skillet.  Add the chicken broth, canned tomatoes and carrots. 

Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium, return the lamb chops to the skillet until cooked through but tender (about 15 minutes) and the sauce has thickened.   Transfer lamb and carrots to serving platter and sauce to a bowl.   Serve the chops topped with ample portions of the sauce. 

Cooking Tips:
To get a really rich, flavorful sauce, it's worth spending the extra for quality diced tomatoes.  I used Muir Glen Fire Roasted Organic Diced Tomatoes.

To slice the onion into super-thin rings, I used my Oxo V-Blade Mandoline Slicer.  It works like a charm.

Lamb Vindaloo

Vindaloo is among the more popular Indian curries, both within India and in other nations where Indian cuisine is popular.   Interestingly, its origins aren't originally Indian.  The Indian coastal region of Goa was strongly influenced by Portuguese traders, and the early versions of vindaloo developed by Goan cooks were closely based on traditional Portuguese dishes.  Over time, an ingredient common to the Portuguese dishes - red wine - was replaced by vinegar, which became one of the defining traits of vindaloo. 

In the west, vindaloo has a reputation for being quite spicy.   That isn't universal - some traditional Indian versions of vindaloo are quite mild - but it is pretty common, as most vindaloos incorporate Indian hot red chili peppers.  Interestingly, western versions of vindaloo usually include potatoes, but even though "aloo" is the Hindi word for "potato," traditional Goan vindaloo do not include potatoes.  The word vindaloo is derived from Portuguese, not Hindi.  That said, potatoes are commonly included in similar dishes from other areas of India.

I recently put together an original Lamb Vindaloo recipe.   It incorporates elements from a variety of traditional and modern vindaloo recipes, mostly ones with a strong Goan influence.  I tried out the recipe last weekend and was pleased with the results.  After a lengthy marinade, then frying before finally simmering in spices and broth for a time, the lamb is fall-apart tender and the gravy thick and flavorful.  The dish has a bit of bite to it, but is less spicy than a lot of Western vindaloos, such that the flavor of the lamb doesn't get buried beneath heat and spices. 

I'm pretty happy with how this recipe turned out, and Juli liked it, too.  I may experiment with it further - I might even play around with a more western version and include potatoes next time - but I think it's pretty good as is.   Hopefully some of our readers will give it a try and let us know what they think.

Lamb Vindaloo

yield = 6 servings

2              pounds lamb, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2           cup rice vinegar
1              tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1              tablespoon minced garlic
2              serrano chilis, seeded and minced
2              teaspoons chili powder
1              teaspoon black pepper
1/2           teaspoon powdered turmeric
2              tablespoons vegetable oil
1              large yellow onion, chopped fine
2              tablespoons tomato paste
1              tablespoon sweet paprika
1              teaspoon mustard seed
1              teaspoon ground cumin
1/2           teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2           teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2           teaspoon table salt
1/4           teaspoon cayenne pepper
2              bay leaves
1 1/2        cups chicken broth
1/4           cup water

In a zipper-lock bag, mix the lamb, vinegar, ginger, garlic, chilis, chili powder, black pepper and turmeric.  Shake to thoroughly mix, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add half of the lamb mixture to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is browned.  Transfer the browned lamb to a bowl and repeat with the remainder of the lamb mixture.  

After all the lamb is browned and removed from the Dutch oven, add a bit more oil if needed, then add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes or until they just start to brown.  Add the tomato paste, paprika, mustard seed, ground cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, salt and cayenne.  Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute, then add the lamb back to the Dutch oven.  Stir to mix, then stir in the bay leaves, chicken broth and water.   Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover partway.  Simmer for 1 hour, then serve. 

Note:
If you'd like a spicier version of the dish, omit the serrano chilis, chili powder and cayenne and instead grind up 10 dried hot red peppers using a spice grinder or mortal and pestle.  Add the ground chilis after frying the onions, then roughly chop a couple more dried chilis and add them to the mix along with the bay leaves.  Kashmir chilis would be ideal if you can find some, but if not, any sort of hot dried Asian red pepper will do the trick.  You'll want to use Asian peppers, though.   Use of Mexican peppers, such as chipotle or ancho, will leave the dish tasting like a Mexican or southwestern stew, not a curry (not a bad thing, mind you, but not what I'm going for here).

     If you want something more closely approximating the versions of Vindaloo typically served in Indian restaurants in the US, peel and dice some potatoes, pat them dry, add another tablespoon of oil to the pot after removing the lamb from the Dutch oven and fry the potatoes along with the onions.  This may cause the onions to take a little more time to brown, but be caerful they do not burn.

Mediterranean Meatballs with Tomatoes and Feta: A Work in Progress

Sometimes when I make up new recipes, they work out great the first time out, but that isn't always the case.  Occasionally they turn out so bad I give up on the recipe and move on to something else, but most of the time I think about what did and didn't work, rewrite the recipe and give the dish another try.   This post is about one such recipe.

I wanted to make a recipe featuring meatballs flavored with Mediterranean spices and served up with cooked tomatoes and a bit of feta.   Here's the recipe I started out with:

2         tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, + 2 teaspoons
1         medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2         teaspoons minced garlic, divided
3         slices stale white bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
3         tablespoons milk
1 1/4   pounds ground lamb
1/4      cup chopped fresh parsley, plus additional for garnish
1         teaspoon dried oregano + 1/2 teaspoon
1         teaspoon ground cumin
1/2      teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2      teaspoon table salt
1/4      teaspoon ground cinnamon
2         pints graped tomatoes, halved
2         tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/4      cup plain yogurt
2         ounces feta cheese, crumbled
           warmed pita bread (for serving)

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook 1/2 cup of the onion until soft and lightly-browned, then add 1 teaspoon garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and transfer onion and garlic to a large bowl to cool.

Place the pieces of stale bread in a bowl.   Pour the milk atop the bread pieces, then use your hands to mash the bread and milk into a thick paste.  Add the bread paste to the bowl with the cooked onions and garlic and add the ground lamb, parsley, 1 teaspoon oregano, pepper, salt and cinnamon.  Wet hands and shape the lamb mixture into oblong, slightly flattened meatballs.

Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet.   Cook the meatballs until they are well-browned (8-10 minutes).  Transfer to a serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

Drain and wipe out the skillet and heat the final two teaspoons of olive oil.  Add the remainder of the onion and cook until it starts to brown.  Add the final teaspoon garlic and final 1/2 teaspoon oregano and cook 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes.  Cook, stirring often, for 5-7 minutes or until the tomato mixture thickens.  Transfer the tomatoes to the serving platter with the meatballs.

Add chopped mint to the skillet, cook 10 seconds, then remove from heat.  Stir the yogurt into the skillet, then pour the contents of the skillet over the meatballs.  Sprinkle with feta and parsley and serve with pita bread.

That sounded like a good starting place, but the results weren't everything I'd hoped.   The lamb was quite fatty, the meatballs didn't hold together very well, and cooking the meatballs left me with a lot of blackened bits, much of it burnt onto the skillet.   Just draining and wiping it out wasn't going to work, so I set that skillet aside and used a second one to cook the rest of the onions and garlic and the tomatoes.   Pretty quickly, I found yet another problem.  The amount of tomato was too much, and the halved tomatoes gave up so much juice that it would have taken a long time for enough liquid to cook off for the tomatoes to thicken significantly.  I decided to transfer the tomato pieces to the serving dish with the meatballs, but I didn't want to lose all the tomato flavor still in the skillet, so I stirred the mint and yogurt into the juice still in the skillet.  That was a mistake, as the sauce ended up being soupy and not very attractive. 

The final result was pretty disappointing, especially given the cost of the ingredients (lamb isn't cheap, and good feta is also a bit pricey).  Presentation-wise, it was a complete disaster, with the falling-apart meatballs rendered soggy by the mushy tomatoes and soupy sauce.   It looked quite unappetizing. 

But despite not looking very good and having a really disappointing texture, everything tasted pretty good.   There is clearly something here to work with, but I could tell right away it would need a lot of work, and some parts clearly needed to be rethought completely.

First off, I needed to do something different about the meatballs.  They hadn't held together very well.  One possibility was to use some other ingredient to try to bind them together, but an obvious candidate - eggs - was out, because adding an egg would weaken the lamb flavor so much it would be lost beneath strong seasonings, juicy cooked tomatoes and tart feta.  Considering the results of the trial run, I recognized one definite problem and another possibility.   First off, the ground lamb was too fatty.   I could offset that by mixing the lamb with some lean ground beef, though.  Second, I wondered if perhaps three slices hadn't been too much bread.   Next time I'd use less.  Plus, Juli had noticed some bread lumps in the meatballs.  I suspected these were pieces of the bread crust, so I decided to remove the crusts next time.  With less bread, I could also reduce the amount of milk.  Those two changes might result in sturdier meatballs without having to add an egg.

It also occurred to me that one way to keep the meatballs from falling apart might be to bake them, rather than frying them.  Without the risk of fallen-off bits of meatball burning, I could get by with one skillet.

Next I considered the obvious problem of the tomatoes.   I'd used way more tomato than I needed for this recipe, since I wanted the tomato to accent the dish, not drown it.   Next time I'd use only 1 pint of the small tomatoes.  The other problem was the sogginess.   Cooking these juicy little tomatoes down would take a long time, and adding cornstarch or some other thickener would blunt the flavor of the tomatoes.   Next time around, I decided, I'd cook the tomatoes whole, and only until some of them started to burst. 

Without all the tomato juice in the skillet, I figured the yogurt-mint sauce would probably be okay as is.   So, with the changes noted above, the beta version of my recipe ended up like this:

1         tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil + 2 teaspoons
1         medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2         teaspoons minced garlic, divided
2         slices stale white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
5         teaspoons milk
3/4      pounds ground lamb
1/2      pound 90% lean ground beef
1/4      cup chopped fresh parsley, plus additional for garnish
1         teaspoon dried oregano + 1/2 teaspoon
1         teaspoon ground cumin
1/2      teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2      teaspoon table salt
1/4      teaspoon ground cinnamon
1         pint graped tomatoes
2         tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/4      cup plain yogurt
2         ounces feta cheese, crumbled
           warmed pita bread (for serving)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.   Place a wire rack on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and spray the wire rack with nonstick cooking spray.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook 1/2 cup of the onion until soft and lightly-browned, then add 1 teaspoon garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and transfer onion and garlic to a large bowl to cool.

Place the pieces of stale bread in a bowl.   Pour the milk atop the bread pieces, then use your hands to mash the bread and milk into a thick paste.  Add the bread paste to the bowl with the cooked onions and garlic and add the ground lamb, parsley, 1 teaspoon oregano, pepper, salt and cinnamon.  Wet hands and shape the lamb mixture into meatballs.  Arrange the meatballs on the prepared wire rack and place in the oven.  Bake until browned, then remove from the oven and transfer the meatballs to a serving platter.

Meanwhile, add the remaining two teaspoons of olive oil to skillet and heat over medium heat.  Add the remainder of the onion and cook until it starts to brown.  Add the final teaspoon garlic and final 1/2 teaspoon oregano and cook 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until a few of the tomatoes have started to burst.   Transfer the tomatoes to the serving platter. 
When the meatballs and tomatoes are both cooked, heat the skillet over medium heat.  Add the chopped mint, cook 10 seconds, then remove from heat.  Stir the yogurt into the skillet, then pour the contents of the skillet over the meatballs and cooked tomatoes.  Sprinkle with feta and parsley and serve with pita bread.

So, that's the version I'll be working with next time I try out this recipe.

< to be continued >