Meatball Tagine With Herbs And Lemon

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons italian parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 slices bread, crusts removed
• 1 egg
• 18 ounces ground lamb or 18 ounces ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 4 teaspoons butter or 4 teaspoons oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 red chili peppers, seeded and sliced or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 tablespoons italian parsley, chopped
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 preserved lemon, pulp removed and rind cut into strips (optional)

Recipe

• 1 prepare the meatballs: put the onion and parsley in a food processor and process until finely chopped.
• 2 tear the bread into pieces, add to the onion, along with the egg, and process briefly.
• 3 add the meat, cumin, paprika, pepper and 1 teaspoons salt and process to a thick paste, scraping down the side of the bowl occasionally.
• 4 alternative preparation: grate the onion, chop the parsley, crumb the bread, and add to the meat in a bowl with the remaining ingredients. knead until the mixture is paste like in consistency.
• 5 with moistened hands, shape the mixture into walnut-sized balls and place them on a tray. cover and refrigerate until required.
• 6 prepare the sauce: heat the butter or oil in a saucepan and add the onion. cook over low heat until softened and golden.
• 7 add the paprika, turmeric, cumin and chili or cayenne pepper, and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
• 8 add the chicken stock and cilantro and bring to a boil.
• 9 add the meatballs to the pan, shaking so that they settle into the sauce. cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
• 10 add most of the parsley and the lemon juice and season, if necessary. return to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes.
• 11 if using preserved lemon, add now.
• 12 transfer to a tagine or bowl, and sprinkle with remaining parsley.
• 13 note 1: author suggests serving with crusty bread. i also suggest rice or couscous.
• 14 note 2: i substituted a yellow curry powder for the turmeric, as turmeric is a principal ingredient in curry powder.
• 15 note 3: i sometimes need to add a little additional stock for the sauce, depending on the pot i use.