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1
Start by making the meatballs so that you can rest them while you are making the sauce.
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2
Knead the minced lamb with breadcrumbs, powdered cumin, chopped onion, garlic, olives and the beaten egg.
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3
Season the mixture with salt and the freshly ground black pepper.
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4
Wet your hands and mould the mixture into spheres, about 2-cm in diameter (2.5-cm = 1 inch), and leave them in the fridge for the flavours to meld.
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5
To make the sauce, add the jar of passata, 80 ml (1/3 cup) olive oil and the sugar to a large non-reactive saucepan, and pass the tomatoes and their juice through a sieve into the pan.
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6
They will add extra flavour to the ready-made passata.
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7
Season with salt and the freshly ground pepper, add the muslin-wrapped spices and leave the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes; and remember to skim it regularly.
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8
Add the onions to the pan and allow the sauce to simmer for another hour until they are cooked, then cook for another 20 minutes.
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9
Blanch the remaining cracked olives in boiling water for 2 minutes and add them to the tomato sauce.
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10
Place the lid on the pan, and leave them to simmer gently.
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11
Roll the meatballs in flour and fry them in a little olive oil to brown them and firm them before they are added to the sauce.
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12
Place the yoghurt in a small bowl or jug and add the cumin seeds and stir well.
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13
Cover, and leave in the fridge.
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14
Bring the sauce to simmering point, add the meatballs and leave to simmer with the lid on until cooked, about 15 minutes.
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15
Serve the meatballs on boiled, long-grain rice, with the sauce in which they were cooked, with the cool, cumin yoghurt on the side.