Doron's Meatballs With Pine Nuts, Cilantro, and Golden Raisins

My mom's book club read A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg. For their meeting, everyone made one of the forty-five recipes in the book. In my opinion, these were by far the best, so I decided to make them myself.

These meatballs are delicious -- perfect for an appetizer! I brought these to my aunt's house for h'orderves and everyone loved them.

For the Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt (not low fat or nonfat)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

For the Meatballs:

1/2 cup minced yellow onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 cup chopped pine nuts

1/4 cup golden raisins, halved or coarsely chopped if large

1/2 cup fine bread crumbs

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 pound ground turkey

About 4 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1) For the yogurt sauce, put all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside at room temperature.

2) For the meatballs, mix all of the ingredients together expect the turkey. When they are all well mixed, add in the turkey. Be sure not to overwork the meat.

3) Next, roll into 1-1/2 inch balls and set aside on a large plate. (Makes about 30 meatballs)

4) Warm 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add about half of the meatballs, taking care not to crowd them. As they begin to color, turn gently and roll them around in the pan until they are evenly browned. The meatballs should be firm but not rock-hard.

5) Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. Then repeat step 4.

Notes:

Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature with the yogurt sauce.

Also, I hate the smell of cumin . . . is it just me?!