Ingredients

Method

• 600 g lamb meatballs
• 3 T olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 bunch celery
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1–2 T chopped dill, plus extra for garnishing
• potatoes, pasta, or rice for serving

Method

Ingredients

In a wide, deep pan (preferably non-stick and with a lid), over a medium heat, brown the meatballs on both sides in 1–2 T of the oil.
Remove and season to taste. Pour off the fat and add 1 T of fresh oil to the pan. Add the onion and cook gently until softened. Stir in the garlic and season to taste.
Set aside some of the celery leaves for garnishing and roughly chop the rest of the leaves. Cut the celery stems into finger-sized lengths and halve the celery heart lengthways, slicing off the soiled end. Rinse and drain the celery.
Return the lamb to the pan. Add the celery, stock and dill, together with the juice of 1 lemon and a little seasoning.
Bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for half an hour, or until the celery is very tender. There’ll be a lot of liquid – necessary for cooking the celery – but you can always reduce the liquid over a high heat (first remove the lamb and celery and keep it warm).
Check seasoning, and, if necessary, add more lemon juice. Stir in a sprinkling of dill and garnish with the reserved celery, chopped. Serve with steamed potatoes, pasta or rice.

Per serving: 2606.9 kJ, 25.4 g protein, 42.7 g fat, 32.6 g carbs
TASTE’s take:
To save time, I used the ready-prepared lamb meatballs available in store, but you can certainly make your own. To do so, mix minced lamb with some chopped and fried onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, a beaten egg, dill and seasoning, then form into patties. This recipe is a good way of using the much overlooked celery as a vegetable in its own right.