It’s finally starting to get warmer in London. The other day I even braved a dress and cowboy boots which felt somewhat flirtatious given that we are still in April but I managed to dodge the rain, came home and cooked these meatballs. I’m cooking them again next week for a Friday night supper with friends. And despite taking no time at all to come together they are SO full of flavour.
The secret, or not so secret, secret is everything cooking in one pan.
One-pan cooking still gets a bit neglected a bit when it comes to hosting. There is even a bit of snobbery around it. It feel’s a bit simple, a bit basic, a bit midweek.
But some of the best dishes are cooked in one pan - saffron risotto, chilli spiked vongole, silky buttery pastas.
I love one pan cooking when I am entertaining, not just for the ease and the lessened washing up (although truthfully this is a big pull) but because it usually means BIG FLAVOUR.
There is a lot of flavour here. The meatballs get a sear first, leaving a sticky glaze of concentrated flavour in the pan to be slurped up by the onions and tomato sauce. There’s heat from the harissa which marries with the subtle sweetness of dates which I think goes so well with lamb. The chickpeas bubble away in there too so there’s a bit of a carby element and I usually serve it just like this with a spoonful of yogurt and a good crunchy salad.
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