"Greek" Meatballs

Baby LOVES his meatballs, and I've acquired a mini-United Nations of recipes. This one was one of the first I found, and is a streamlined and adapted version of this recipe from the epicurious website.

Meatballs:

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped

4 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup bulgur

1 egg

1 T olive oil (more if your beef is extremely lean)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Combine all ingredients and let rest while you make the sauce.

Sauce:

2 medium onions, sliced in "half-moons"

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 T olive oil

1 large can crushed tomatoes (or 1 large can whole or diced tomatoes, run through the blender -- I tend to use what I have in the house)

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp allspice

black pepper

Saute onions in olive oil until they are golden. Add garlic, cinnamon and allspice and stir for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer. Add pepper to taste.

Roll meatball mixture into small balls (approximately 1 inch in diameter). Carefully add the meatballs to the hot tomato sauce and simmer for 20 minutes, or until meatballs are done.

I like to serve this with steamed rice and a simple salad of thinly sliced cucumbers and yogurt.