Middle-Easter Bison Meatballs With Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce

Sauce

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½

teaspoon coriander seeds

1½

cups chopped fresh cilantro

½

cup whole-milk Greek-style yogurt

3 scallions, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Meatballs

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

6 cloves garlic, minced

½

cup bread crumbs (ideally fresh made from crustless French bread)

1 tablespoon whole milk

2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeno chili (about 1 large)

2 tablespoons whole-milk Greek-style yogurt

1¼

pounds ground bison

1 large egg, beaten

¼

cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½

teaspoon ground black pepper

¼

teaspoon ground allspice

For the sauce: In a small, dry skillet over medium, combine the fennel seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds. Toast, stirring often, until aromatic and slightly darker in color, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool for 5 minutes.

In a spice mill or clean coffee grinder, finely grind the seeds. Set aside.

In a blender, combine the cilantro, yogurt, scallions, mint, lemon juice, olive oil, sage and sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of the ground seeds, then blend, scraping the sides of the blender as needed, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and refrigerate.

For the meatballs: In a small, heavy skillet over medium, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onion and garlic, then saute until soft, about 7 minutes (do not brown). Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk.

In a food processor, combine the cooled onion mixture, breadcrumb mixture, remaining ground seeds, chili and yogurt. Pulse to form a coarse puree. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.

Add the bison, egg, cilantro, sage, salt, pepper and allspice. Using your hands or a fork, mix until just blended. Using damp hands, form the mixture into 11/4-inch balls. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.

In a heavy, large nonstick skillet over medium, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Working in 2 batches, cook the meatballs until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. As they are cooked, transfer the meatballs to a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm (up to 15 minutes). Serve with cilantro-yogurt sauce for dipping.

Serves six.

Bruce Aidells