Main Dish

Meatballs with Chickpea Stew

Pezzi King Vineyards

Pezzi King Vineyards 412 Hudson Street Healdsburg Ca 95448
Healdsburg, CA 95448
pezziking.com

RECIPE YEAR: 2016
RECIPE BY: Donna Parson - FoodmamaD
YIELD: Serves 6
PAIRS WELL WITH: Old Vine Zinfandel

This aromatic, sauce-rich stew, like all stews, is even better made in advance and reheated. We make the meatballs separate from the chickpea stew so that it can be vegetarian, too. Serve the stew with couscous, rice or mashed potatoes.

Meatballs

Ingredients:

2 thick slices multi-grain bread, crusts removed
2/3 cup milk
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, grated
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

To prepare the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, soak the bread in the milk for 5 minutes, then squeeze out the excess milk; discard the milk. 

In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, bread, onion, cumin, cinnamon, parsley, cilantro and salt. Knead with your hands until well mixed (you might want to wear food gloves).

Roll the meat into small balls or use a small ice cream scoop. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Chickpea Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into small dice
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cans (each 15 ounces) diced tomatoes with juices
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Old Vine Zinfandel
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

To prepare the chickpea sauce, in a cast-iron pan, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes with juices, tomato paste and wine and bring to a boil.

Add the chickpeas, parsley, coriander, cumin, paprika, ginger and salt and stir until the ingredients are well combined. Simmer for 15 minutes. 

Add the meatballs and simmer until the sauce has thickened a little, about 10 minutes more.