Halal-conscious recipe
Italian meatballs with orzo, Halal
Katy Greenwood's Italian meatballs with orzo: Halal beef mince rolled with basil, garlic and oregano, simmered in passata and served over orzo, with the parmesan's rennet checked.
Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.
Photo: Kim Scarborough · CC BY-SA 2.5
Why Halal checks matter here
There is no pork or alcohol in the recipe, but the 500 g of beef mince needs Halal slaughter and the parmesan shaved over the top is made with animal rennet.
These meatballs have no pork or alcohol in them, so the Halal work is in the sourcing. The beef mince needs Halal slaughter, and the parmesan shaved over the top is made with calf rennet, which scholars differ on, so choose a cheese whose rennet suits your school.
It follows Katy Greenwood's Italian meatballs with orzo for BBC Good Food. The meatballs brown for 5 to 6 minutes, then simmer for 10 in a jar of passata while the orzo cooks. Orzo is a small dried pasta; read the label for egg.
Halal-critical ingredients
- Beef mince Beef is Halal only from an animal slaughtered the Halal way, and ordinary supermarket beef says nothing about how it was slaughtered. Buy from a Halal butcher or in a certified pack. See Beef.
- Parmesan Parmigiano Reggiano must be made with calf rennet, and other hard cheeses may use animal rennet. Scholars differ on rennet from animals not slaughtered the Halal way. Use a hard cheese that names microbial, vegetable or Halal-certified rennet, or one your school accepts. See Parmesan.
Safe substitutes
- 500 g beef mince → 500 g Halal beef mince
- Parmesan made with animal rennet → A hard cheese with microbial, vegetable or Halal-certified rennet
Allergens
gluten (orzo), milk (parmesan)
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 small pack basil (half chopped, half kept for serving)
- 500 g Halal beef mince
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 540 g jar of passata
To serve
- 300 g orzo
- to serve parmesan or another hard cheese, shaved (see the rennet check below)
Method
- Roll the meatballs. Chop half the basil and keep the rest for serving. Mix the chopped basil with the Halal beef mince, garlic and oregano, season, and roll into 20 to 24 meatballs.
- Brown. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a fairly high heat and brown the meatballs all over for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Simmer in passata. Stir in the passata and bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cook the orzo and serve. Meanwhile, cook the orzo in a large pan of boiling water as the pack says. Drain, spoon onto a platter or plates, top with the meatballs and sauce, then shave over the cheese and scatter with the reserved basil.
How this recipe was researched
Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Italian meatballs with orzo' by Katy Greenwood (serves 4: half a small pack of basil chopped and mixed with 500 g beef mince, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tbsp dried oregano and seasoning, rolled into 20 to 24 meatballs; browned all over 5 to 6 minutes in 1 tbsp olive oil over a fairly high heat; a 540 g jar of passata brought to the boil and simmered 10 minutes; 300 g orzo cooked as the pack says; served with parmesan shavings and the rest of the basil). We specified Halal beef mince and a hard cheese whose rennet suits your school. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.
Technique and ingredient sources
-
Italian meatballs with orzo — BBC Good Food
Retrieved:
By Katy Greenwood. Serves 4, prep 10 minutes, cook 20 minutes: 500 g beef mince with basil, garlic and dried oregano rolled into 20 to 24 meatballs, browned 5 to 6 minutes, simmered 10 minutes in a 540 g jar of passata, served on 300 g orzo with parmesan and basil. We specified Halal beef and a rennet-checked cheese.
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Parmesan analysis — isithalal.food
Retrieved:
Why Parmigiano Reggiano's calf rennet is a scholarly difference, and how to check other hard cheeses.