.5 c fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless french bread (I used the inside of a stale baguette that I made into crumbs using a cheese grater – true story)
1 T skim milk
extra virgin olive oil
1 c finely chopped sweet onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
.5 t ground fennel seeds (remainder from the yogurt sauce)
.5 t cumin
.25 t ground coriander
1 - 2 T minced jalapeno chile, measured after seeds are taken out
2 T fat free Greek yogurt
1.25 lb ground bison
1 large egg, beaten
.25 c chopped cilantro
1 t chopped fresh sage
.5 t coarse kosher salt
.5 t freshly ground black pepper
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
Instructions
For the Cilantro Yogurt Sauce:
Toast the fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until you can smell it, and it's slightly darker in color, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Finely grind the toasted seeds in a spice mill or coffee grinder, or with a mortar and pestle (or a meat mallet with the seeds in a plastic bag).
Place half of the ground fennel, and the cumin, coriander, cilantro, yogurt, onions, lemon juice, olive oil, sage, and sugar in a mini-prep food processor.
Process until a smooth sauce forms, scraping down sides frequently.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover sauce and chill.
For the Meatballs:
In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs with the milk, to soften the crumbs.
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. When hot, add 1 T extra virgin olive oil. Then add the onion and garlic; saute until soft, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a food processor, place the onion mixture, breadcrumb mixture, fennel, cumin, coriander, jalapeno, and yogurt. Pulse until a coarse puree forms.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add bison, egg, cilantro, sage, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix with hands until just blended.
Form bison mixture into 1.25-inch balls.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs to the pan, but don’t crowd them – the meatballs should be at least 1″ apart, so work in 2 – 3 batches. Brown the meatballs on all sides, about 8 – 10 min per batch. If the pan gets too hot, remove it from the heat for a while and use a wet paper towel to wipe it down. Start over with more oil and repeat until all of the meatballs are browned.
Recipe by My Utensil Crock at http://www.myutensilcrock.com/2017/05/11/middle-eastern-bison-pita-sliders/