Shawarma turkey meatballs over couscous
Foil over the pan for the first six minutes, which is the whole trick.
At a Glance
Story
Do not touch them for the first six minutes. The egg and panko binder has not set yet, and a meatball nudged early tears along the seam where it was pressed together and starts shedding into the pan. Once the underside has browned it is structurally a different object and you can roll it around as much as you like.
Ingredients
- 10 oz ground turkey
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 oz fetacrumbled
- ½ tbsp shawarma seasoning
- ½ cup pearl couscous
- 2 oz arugula
- 1 Persian cucumberhalved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 4 oz grape tomatoeshalved
- 1 oz Niçoise olivespitted (optional)
- 3 tbsp garlic-tahini sauce
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 lemonquartered
- olive oilsalt, pepper
Method
The couscous, the salad and the sauce all happen while the meatballs cook, so read it through first.
- Salted water on to boil. Cucumber and tomatoes with the juice of two lemon wedges, seasoned, set aside to marinate. Whisk the garlic-tahini with the honey in another bowl.
- Couscous into the water, 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Drain, return to the pot, oil, salt and pepper.
- Mix the turkey, panko, egg, feta and shawarma seasoning with a light hand. Form 10 meatballs.
- Large nonstick pan, oil, medium-high. Meatballs in one layer, foil loosely over the top. 6 to 7 minutes, undisturbed, until browned underneath. Foil off, then 6 to 8 minutes more, turning, until browned all over and 165°F.
- Arugula and the juice of the remaining wedges into the couscous. Stir, taste, season.
- Couscous into bowls, meatballs on top, the marinated vegetables and their liquid, the olives if you're having them, and the honeyed tahini poured over.
Ten meatballs from ten ounces means an ounce each, which is small on purpose. They cook in the time the couscous takes.
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