Recipes: Kefta Tajine
Kefta Tajine with Eggs
SERVES 4 , 35 meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
* 1 lb ground lamb or ground beef
* 1/2 onion, grated
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
* 2 sprigs fresh coriander, finely chopped
* 2 sprigs flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Sauce
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 onion, grated
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
* 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 3 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 cup lamb stock or beef stock
Vegetables and Eggs
* 2 cups squash or potatoes, peeled & cut into large chunks
* 1/2 cup peas
* 3 eggs, beaten
Directions
1. Use your hands to mix the meatball ingredients, and roll mixture into mini meatballs 3/4"-1" in diameter; set aside.
2. In a skillet or tajine combine sauce ingredients and let mixture simmer, covered, over low heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add meatballs, squash, and peas to the sauce and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Pour the eggs in in a stream over everything.
5. Cover and cook just long enough to cook the egg (about 3 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs).
6. Serve warm over couscous, sprinkled with cumin or black pepper if desired.
OMG this was fantastic. We doubled everything except the eggs and have a few meals left over. Since there was so much food we had to cook the meatballs in batches in the tajine, and then cook the vegetables and re-add all the meatballs at the end. For the meatballs we used half lamb and half beef to get the flavor of the lamb, but to get the lower price of the beef (and they accidentally charged us for ground turkey, even cheaper!). This did not at all compromise the lamb flavor. We used potatoes, which were yummy, though I'd love to experiment with some squash next time if the fall squashes are in season. I'd also find ways to add more vegetables to this dish. Carrots would have gone quite well and more peas would not have hurt. We did not grate the onions, and rather finely chopped them. This worked fine.
One thing I'd like to note is that it was just a tad too spicy for me. I would halve the cayenne, but I'm a spice wimp. Of course we added some Ras Al Hanout (a Moroccan spice mix), which always makes Moroccan food taste better. I will be very sad when it's gone, since I'm not sure when we'll be back in Morocco to pick up more.
SERVES 4 , 35 meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
* 1 lb ground lamb or ground beef
* 1/2 onion, grated
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
* 2 sprigs fresh coriander, finely chopped
* 2 sprigs flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Sauce
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 onion, grated
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
* 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 3 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 cup lamb stock or beef stock
Vegetables and Eggs
* 2 cups squash or potatoes, peeled & cut into large chunks
* 1/2 cup peas
* 3 eggs, beaten
Directions
1. Use your hands to mix the meatball ingredients, and roll mixture into mini meatballs 3/4"-1" in diameter; set aside.
2. In a skillet or tajine combine sauce ingredients and let mixture simmer, covered, over low heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add meatballs, squash, and peas to the sauce and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Pour the eggs in in a stream over everything.
5. Cover and cook just long enough to cook the egg (about 3 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs).
6. Serve warm over couscous, sprinkled with cumin or black pepper if desired.
OMG this was fantastic. We doubled everything except the eggs and have a few meals left over. Since there was so much food we had to cook the meatballs in batches in the tajine, and then cook the vegetables and re-add all the meatballs at the end. For the meatballs we used half lamb and half beef to get the flavor of the lamb, but to get the lower price of the beef (and they accidentally charged us for ground turkey, even cheaper!). This did not at all compromise the lamb flavor. We used potatoes, which were yummy, though I'd love to experiment with some squash next time if the fall squashes are in season. I'd also find ways to add more vegetables to this dish. Carrots would have gone quite well and more peas would not have hurt. We did not grate the onions, and rather finely chopped them. This worked fine.
One thing I'd like to note is that it was just a tad too spicy for me. I would halve the cayenne, but I'm a spice wimp. Of course we added some Ras Al Hanout (a Moroccan spice mix), which always makes Moroccan food taste better. I will be very sad when it's gone, since I'm not sure when we'll be back in Morocco to pick up more.