Moroccan Lamb Meatballs
Giving minced lamb a bit of spice….
Here’s a dish I threw together at home the other day. For some reason I began thinking about lamb and that got me to thinking about lamb flavoured with lemon juice and the lemon juice turned to preserved lemon and that in turn led to Morocco and all things North African (draw breath) so fresh coriander and my own grown Moroccan mint sprang to mind along with cumin and finally harissa. Then I thought about how much time I had on my hands and what I had to do so a slow cooked tagine was the best option.
Lamb and chick peas is a wonderful marriage, I threw in some long sweet peppers and a sweet potato for texture and decent starch. When I cook I think about the end result and how I envisage it and then work backwards. So here’s a ‘rough guide’….
Take some minced lamb, as much as you need, season it with salt and pepper, nothing more because the sauce has enough ingredients, you don’t want to confuse the issue. Some add pine nuts, eggs, flour, breadcrumbs etc, I don’t bother. I use a little flour to take some of the moisture out and help me to roll them but that’s it. Roll them in your hands and keep them the same size.
Now brown them in a frying pan with a little olive oil, once nicely browned take them out and leave on the side until later. Fry a chopped onion in the remaining oil, add a chopped dried chilli, a peeled and diced sweet potato and stir well. Add a cinnamon stick, a teaspoon of turmeric, ground cumin, paprika and coriander. Season with salt and pepper then add a cup of cooked chick peas. Stir in a couple of teaspoons of tomato paste and a teaspoon of chopped preserved lemon. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and adjust the consistency with hot vegetable stock. Return the meatballs to the pan and then pour the lot into an ovenproof dish. Stick in a hot oven for an hour or until the sweet potato is cooked-if these are cooked then the meat surely will be too.
Take out of the oven and add plenty of fresh chopped mint and coriander, adjust the seasoning and serve with cous cous. You can add dried fruits to the dish if you wish, dates, apricots and prunes all go well as does a drop of rosewater if you’ve got it but don’t go buying it on my account.
Moroccan Style Lamb Meatballs
Miles,
I’ve still got some preserved lemon so perhaps this is where it should go. Sounds really delicious and not at all complicated which is great when time is limited. I keep eyeing up your tagine Miles….. now there’s something I don’t have…. yet
Somewhere in my tardis of a kitchen cupboard, there are a number of casserole type vessels and they give slightly different results, certainly with slow cooking I’ve noticed. I quite often resort to my favourite pan with tin foil as a lid.
We’ve been featuring Moroccan Dukkah in the deli recently…. got any suggestions?
Cid
July 7, 2009 @ 9:00 am
Chef,
Here’s a dish I threw together
Looks marvellous, you make it sound so simple - I wonder why most of the nation is feeding on garbage tonight ?
Cheers
Rod
July 7, 2009 @ 4:38 pm
Cid,
Dukkah-olive oil-warm flat bread-job done.
Can’t beat it.
Miles
July 7, 2009 @ 7:25 pm
Rod,
It is easy really, you could buy raw meatballs and use a pre made Moroccan spice mix if you don’t feel confident or are in a hurry.
It also makes for great leftovers.
Miles
July 7, 2009 @ 7:27 pm
Miles,
Gonna knock up a pot of this tomorrow (well today I guess) and make my fellow nightshift workers green with envy.
Great post.
GDave
July 9, 2009 @ 1:26 am
GDave,
Go for it! Beats that staple of nightshift food, a microwaved beef burger in a bun
Miles
July 9, 2009 @ 8:40 am