22 March 2024

Meatballs with spiced saffron yoghurt

Award-winning Spanish chef and restaurateur José Pizarro has spent 25 years schooling British diners on his native cuisine. His latest book The Spanish Home Kitchen is full of simple, authentic recipes passed down through the generations, like these meatballs with spinach, pine nuts and spiced saffron yoghurt.

Ingredients (serves four)
For the meatballs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 banana shallot, finely chopped
300g beef mince
300g pork mince
2 fat garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
Handful of chopped coriander
250g baby spinach
30g sultanas
30g toasted pine nuts
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crusty bread, to serve

For the spiced saffron yoghurt
300g Greek yoghurt
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
Pinch of saffron threads, soaked in 1 tsp boiling water
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas 4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small frying pan over a low heat and gently fry the shallot for 10 minutes until soft. Set aside and allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, mix both types of mince with the garlic, cooled shallot, spices and chopped coriander. Season well and shape into 16 walnut-sized balls.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium–high heat. Add the meatballs and fry until golden, then transfer to the oven for 5 min to finish cooking. Set aside on a warm plate and cover.
4. In a bowl, mix the yoghurt, garlic and mint and season well, then stir in the saffron and its soaking water. Put the frying pan used for the meatballs back on a high heat and add the spinach, sultanas, and a small splash of water. Mix and allow the spinach to wilt and mingle with the cooking juices from the meatballs. Add the pine nuts, then return the meatballs and any resting juices to the pan and toss everything together.
5. Divide the yoghurt between 4 plates, top with the meatballs and spinach and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with crusty bread.

Buy The Spanish Home Kitchen by José Pizarro here.

Crémant is the unsung hero of sparkling wine, says The Evening Standard. Sales of the French fizz have shot up in recent years, and no wonder – it’s produced using the same methods as champagne and, in some cases, the same varieties of grapes, meaning good bottles taste almost identical for a fraction of the cost. Here are three of the best supermarket offerings:

Specially Selected Crémant de Jura, £8.99, Aldi, 12%
TikTok has dubbed this Aldi Crémant “the real Laurent Perrier Champagne dupe”, so you’ll need to be quick to get your hands on a bottle. Made from 100% Chardonnay grapes, it successfully replicates its more expensive rivals’ toasty notes, with overtones of apple and citrus.

Taste the Difference Crémant de Loire, £10.50, Sainsbury’s, 12.5%
This fruity and refreshing bubbly is “surprisingly complex for the price”, made from Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay grapes – perfect for pairing with shellfish.

Prince Alexandre Crémant de Loire, £14.49, Waitrose Cellar, 12.5%
Made right next door to the Champagne region, this “elegant, complex and lightly fruity” Crémant has notes of fresh pear, green apple and peach.