Lebanese Lamb Meatball Soup

250g minced lamb

1 onion, grated

1 ½ tbsp. plain flour

1tsp 7 Spice seasoning

400g tinned chopped tomatoes

1 litre vegetable stock

1tbsp brown sugar

300g tinned sweetcorn

Salt & pepper

Small handful flatleaf parsley

It’s cold so a hearty soup is just the thing. The boy loves soup, he loves meatballs and he loves Lebanese food, so this should do the trick. Get him to make up the 7 Spice mix. It’s made up of the following: Allspice, Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Fenugreek, Ginger. I’m letting him experiment with the exact proportions, though there should be a little more allspice than anything else (and a little less pepper and cinnamon).

Mix the lamb, onion and flour together in a bowl and add the boy’s 7 spice seasoning and salt and pepper. Amazingly the boy wants to help – probably only because he’s hungry and wants it to be ready faster. Roll about 2tbsp of the lamb into a ball and let him make the rest, about the same size.

While he’s doing this, pour the stock into a large pan, along with the tomatoes. We’re using Knorr stockpots and Cirio tomatoes, though you could use any brand. Marigold vegetable bouillon is great and chopped tomatoes are often better than whole ones. Stir in the sugar.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins. Stroke the boy’s hair – he’s done a great job with the little meatballs. He’s off duty while you finish this off.

Add the meatballs and simmer for another 15-20 mins – just make sure the meat is cooked through. Drain and rinse the sweetcorn and add it to the soup, warming through for another couple of minutes.

Let the boy taste and adjust the seasoning while you roughly chop the parsley for garnish. Sprinkle over.

We’re having ours with lightly toasted Lebanese bread with grassy green olive oil to dip it into from time to time. I hate cold weather but Lebanese meatball soup and snuggling with the boy on the sofa makes it endurable.