Lamb and Pine Nut Meatballs with Mint Pesto

Ingredients for Meatballs:
1/4 cup currants
1 cup red onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup rice crumbs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 lb. Ground lamb

Preparation for Meatballs:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Place currants in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 5 minutes. Drain well.

Place onion, garlic, parsley, mint, rice crumbs, cinnamon and pine nuts in a food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds or until a rough paste forms. Spoon into a large bowl. Add lamb and currants. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Using 2 tablespoons of mixture at a time, roll into balls. Place on prepared tray. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Ingredients for Mint Pesto:
1 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
zest of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 medium garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup (or more) extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation for pesto:

Blend first 7 ingredients in processor to coarse puree. With machine running, gradually pour in 1/2 cup oil; puree until almost smooth. Transfer pesto to bowl. Season with salt and pepper.