So Many Dishes

I love cooking in my tagine. Moroccan food is delicious, but cooking it in an authentic pot makes it extra special.

We discovered Moroccan cuisine in the late 70s, when my subscription to the Time-Life Foods of the World cookbook series brought a book devoted to the cooking of Morocco. Between that book and, later, Paula Wolfert’s Couscous and other Good Food From Morocco, I started cooking chicken with olives and salted lemons, interesting lamb tagines, and couscous. On the occasions that we ate at the Moroccan restaurant at Epcot in Disney World, it was always fun to talk about the food with the waiters; once they realized that I was familiar with the cuisine and cooked it myself, they would start giving me advice and suggestions.

Ben and Annie, our son and daughter-in-law, gave me my tagine as a Mother’s Day gift more than 10 years ago. It’s a traditional fired clay pot, and I treat it very carefully. It also is the most decorative piece of cookware. It sits on the counter when not in use because it’s too beautiful to hide in a cabinet. But it’s important to cook in it regularly, because if I don’t, I would need to repeat the initial “seasoning” process that took two days!

Last night’s dinner was a recipe I’d made before, meatballs in herbed lemon sauce from 150 Best Tagine Recipes by Pat Crocker. This a cookbook I use frequently; the recipes are very accessible, and her explanations are excellent. The only “exotic” ingredient in this dish is Ras el Hanout, a quintessentially Moroccan spice mixture. Literally meaning “top of the shop,” apparently each spice merchant has his/her own secret blend. The book includes a recipe, but you can find commercial blends without too much difficulty. The recipe calls for ground lamb, and I love it with lamb, but it’s good with ground beef, which makes it less fatty. That’s what I used this time. I’m sure ground turkey would work, too. And before I forget, you don’t need to have a tagine to cook a tagine dish—a Dutch oven works just fine. You may need to keep an eye on it to make sure that it doesn’t dry out, because the conical lid of the tagine condenses all the steam. As long as your Dutch oven has a tight lid, you should be fine.

Meatballs in Herbed Lemon Sauce

Meatballs

• 1 lb. ground lamb (or beef)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 egg

Sauce

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp. Ras el Hanout
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 preserved lemon, rinsed and chopped OR 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

In a bowl, combine the ground meat, onion, bread crumbs, salt, cumin, paprika, and nutmeg. Add egg and mix thoroughly.

Scoop out mixture and roll into small, walnut-size meatballs. Set aside on a plate or baking sheet. If making ahead, bring to room temperature before cooking.

In the bottom of the tagine, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and ras el hanout and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Stir in carrots , sun-dried tomatoes, lemon, parsley, cilantro, and rosemary.

Gently lower meatballs into simmering sauce. Cover with tagine lid and gently simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, until cooked through, turning very gently halfway through cooking time. Makes 4 servings.

Although not traditional, I serve this with pearl couscous. If you can’t stomach cilantro, substitute an equal amount of parsley. (I actually eliminated the parsley and replaced it with more cilantro). I cooked broccolini with garlic oil as a side, which was a perfect accompaniment. It certainly was a satisfying meal.

I hope your dinner is delicious. Happy eating!