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Dairy Council

Young Cook Finalist Recipes

Meatballs and salsa fiesta

Servings
Serves 4
Chef
Virginia Corbetta
School
Lagan College, Belfast
Teacher
Miss L Ellis Key Stage 4

Ingredients

400g Northern Ireland ground turkey mince

4 tsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

Pinch of sea salt and black pepper

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1tsp smoked paprika

2tsp ground coriander

2tsp ground cumin

½ bunch fresh coriander, leaves only finely chopped

100g Northern Ireland cheese, grated Northern Ireland sour cream

Salsa

2 ripe tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped

2 spring onions, finely sliced

1 avocado, chopped

1 lime, zest and juice

½ bunch fresh coriander, leaves only finely chopped

Olive oil

Servings
Serves 4
Chef
Virginia Corbetta
School
Lagan College, Belfast
Teacher
Miss L Ellis Key Stage 4

Method

Heat half the oil in a small frying pan and add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes until soften. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, tip into a bowl and leave to cool.

For the salsa, combine the tomatoes, spring onions, avocados, lime and coriander in a bowl. Add a drizzle of oil and mix.

Once the onion mixture has cooled, add the turkey and coriander and mix thoroughly. Using wet hands, shape the mixture into 16 golf ball–sized balls, and transfer to a baking tray.

Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 15–30 minutes. This will help the meatballs to firm and will stop them falling apart during cooking.

Preheat the oven to 200 ºC /gas 6 / 400 ºF. Heat the remaining oil in a large, non–stick frying pan and fry the meat balls for 2–3 minutes, turning occasionally until golden on all sides.

Put the meatballs on a clean baking tray and cook in the oven for 10–15 minutes. Leave to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Serve with tagliatelle and top with salsa, grated cheese and sour cream.