Making Weeknight Middle Eastern Meatballs Before the Holiday Indulgence? Yeah, Me too.
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another review of weeknight yummies!
I’d also like to wish all who celebrate a Happy and safe Hanukkah! We are absolutely deep in the holiday season and that has urged me to find recipes that won’t be too tough on your pre-holidays “diets”.
I don’t know about you but the holidays are always the time when we tend to indulge a little bit more. The food that is prepared is extra special and often only eaten once a year–we savor it. This is exactly why I tend to pull together recipes that are a bit lighter before the indulgence can begin.
This week, I wanted to make meatballs that I haven’t typically made, which is how I found the recipe for Middle Eastern Meatballs.
This recipe is courtesy of Fig and Olive Platter and the recipe can be found right -> here!
Spices Galore In Every Bite
Making meatballs doesn’t take long at all and frankly, I find it to be quite a stress-relieving process. Mixing in all the spices, the breadcrumbs, and egg–all of it. Once everything is combined, you just have to form each meatball using your hands or an ice scream scoop and let them bake. Simple enough, right?
What sets this recipe apart is the spices, which actually brings me to my one critique of this recipe. My flavor palette can handle a good amount of spice, however the 2 tsp of cayenne, in my opinion, is way too much. I added less than 1.5 tsp since I like to follow recipes as closely as possible the first time I make them. The problem with adding the full 2 tsp of cayenne is that when you bite into the finished meatball, you can’t pick out the rest of the spices in the mix. All you taste is spice. I’d think that spice is meant to give the dish a nice kick, but not to the point that it’s all you can taste.
When I do make these again, I figured I’d reduce the cayenne amount to about 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. If you’re thinking of trying this recipe, I’d highly recommend starting off slow with the spice.
From the middle eastern food that I’ve had in the past, the spices are what really make the dish shine. These meatballs should be no different and ARE no different, as long as you can taste the variety of delightful spices. With a few adjustments, that will be possible with this recipe.
12/14/2020 – Since posting this, Fig and Olive Platter has adjusted the measurement of cayenne on the recipe card.
Grey’s Grade: 4.5/5
Although I love middle eastern food and spices, this recipe was lacking the overall flavor for me. A lot of it comes with the level of spice that I feel was over the top. If the amount of cayenne was decreased to about 1/4 tsp versus 2 full tsp, then the spices would have played nicely together.
This is a recipe that will shine with that simple adjustment.
Would I still recommend this recipe? Absolutely. Not everything we see is perfect, but that’s why reviews are written. This is not one that is meant to be tried once and forgotten, because the spice combination in the meatballs is fabulous. Definitely one that I will not be giving up on.
Fig and Olive Platter, I look forward to trying this one again.
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