Meatballs, Broad Beans & Yoghurt

Step 1
Heat the olive oil in a frypan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5-8 minutes or until soft. Add the fennel seeds, ground allspice, and cumin, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.

Step 2
In a bowl, combine the cooled onion mixture with the lamb mince, egg, parsley, preserved lemon, salt, pepper and cayenne, if using. Use your hands to mix everything together well, then shape tablespoonfuls of the mixture into meatballs. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm them up.

Step 3
For the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a frypan or casserole dish over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and sweat until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme and preserved lemon, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Finally, add the vermouth, stock and currants and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

Step 4
Meanwhile, heat 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add some of the meatballs, being careful not to crowd the pan, and fry for a few minutes on each side until they are browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe out the pan and cook the rest of the meatballs the same way, using the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil if needed.

Step 5
Transfer the meatballs to the sauce and cover with a lid. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Add the blanched broad beans for the last 5 minutes, just to heat through. Drizzle with yoghurt and scatter over the parsley, then serve.