ISTOCK

APPLE AND APRICOT 
TURKEY MEATBALLS
These are gluten-free.

Ingredients:
 1 Tbsp. olive oil
 2 Tbsp. chopped onions
 3 Tbsp. celery
 1 cup finely chopped Granny 
Smith apples (peeled or 
unpeeled)
 1½ lbs. ground, lean turkey 
breast
 ½ tsp. hot pepper sauce (such 
of Tabasco)
 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
 1/3 cup chopped parsley
 1.5 Tbsp. peach or apricot pre-
serves
 2 Tbsp. golden raisins
 1½ tsp. kosher salt, or to taste
 ½ tsp. fresh ground pepper or 
to taste

Garnish: 
 ½ cup Dijon mustard mixed 
with 1 cup melted apricot pre-
serves
Directions: 
Add olive oil to a medium non-
stick skillet over medium-high 
heat. Saute the onions, celery 
and green apples until tender, 
about 3 minutes. Remove from 
heat and cool. 
Combine the sautéed ingre-
dients to the turkey and add 
remaining ingredients in a 
bowl and mix well (I use my 
hands). Chill the mixture for 
one hour.
Form the mixture into 
1½-inch balls and arrange in a 
baking dish or a rimmed sheet 
pan. Chill until ready to cook. 
Preheat oven to 350° and 

bake the meatballs for 12-15 
minutes, until just cooked 
through. Do not overcook. 
I like to serve with a thin 
skewer (at least 6 inches) 
inserted into the top of each 
meatball so they are easy to 
grab. If you’
d rather, serve 
warm with toothpicks, with 
Dijon apricot sauce on the side. 
Makes about 2-3 dozen 
meatballs (depending on the 
size). 

DRESSED-UP 
WHITE BEAN HUMMUS
Hummus: 
Ingredients:
 1 (15-ounce) can canellini or 
great northern beans (rinsed 
and drained)
 ¼ cup fresh lemon juice 
(about 1 lemon)
 ¼ cup tahini (sesame paste), 
available at well-stocked 
supermarkets
 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
 2-4 peeled garlic cloves (to 
taste)
 ½ tsp. ground cumin
 Salt to taste
 Water as needed

Toppings:
Ingredients:
 ½ cup minced red onion
 1 red, orange or yellow bell 
pepper, chopped
 1 cup fresh diced tomatoes
 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
 1 Tbsp. drained capers
 ½ tsp. sumac, available at 
well-stocked supermarkets
 Fresh ground pepper to taste
 Extra-virgin olive oil 
 ¼ cup pine nuts, lightly 
toasted 

Directions:
Combine all hummus ingredi-
ents in the bowl of a food pro-
cessor and process until smooth. 
Adjust salt to taste. 
Spread the hummus on a 
serving platter. Sprinkle the 
toppings over the hummus and 
drizzle with olive oil. 
Serve with fresh pita wedges 
and fresh raw vegetables. Makes 
8-10 servings. 

MUSTARD PECAN AND CRUMB-
COATED BABY LAMB CHOPS
The trick to this recipe is to cook 
the lamb a bit first and then 
finish the cooking just before 
serving. 

Ingredients:
 2 8-rib racks of lamb (about 3 
pounds), bones and meat trimed 
of most of the fat 
 ¼ cup Dijon mustard
 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
 ½ cup finely chopped pecans
 ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Arrange 
the racks, bone side up, on a bak-
ing sheet and roast for 10 min-
utes. Remove from heat and cool 
until ready to serve (this may be 
done up to a day ahead). 
Before cooking to serve, 
spread the meaty portions of 
the rack of lamb with mustard. 
Combine the breadcrumb and 
nuts and press the mixture over 
the mustard. 
Arrange the lamb as before 
and roast for 20 minutes, or 
until a meat thermometer regis-
ters 130ºF to 140ºF.
Let the rack stand for a few 
minutes before slicing into indi-
vidual chops and serving, driz-
zled with the balsamic vinegar. 
Makes 16 appetizer chops. 

All recipes ©Annabel Cohen 2019

annabelonthemenu@gmail.com.

