Tahini meatballs, gochujang orzo

lol I know this title feels like a NYT recipe meme

Cooking for friends is my love language, which means it’s when I’m the most hard of myself because I want to make sure they know how much I love them. For some reason I never serve friends things I would just cook for myself, like a bowl of 15 minute cold noodles drowning in soy sauce, or a crispy rice salad peppered with red cabbage. I need to put on a show. Three friends were coming over - two who have eaten a lot of my food (so I needed to make something different); and one who has never eaten my food (so I needed to impress her). With an hour to prep, I allowed myself the surprise of the grocery store to lead me in a certain direction (although in true Taurus fashion, I already kind of knew what I wanted to cook). Dill, pistachios and green beans because I wanted to make a Kismet-worthy salad. Then lamb mince from the deli opposite because meatballs were on my mind. Orzo because it doesn’t really feel like pasta and it’s quick to make in one pot. No cheese or yoghurt because one of my guests is dairy free. Forgot the eggs. So instead… tahini? A great way to bind the meat and create a slightly sticky, nutty flavour. I’m wondering if next time some chopped dates in the meatballs might be good…

For the meatballs you’ll need…