Moroccan Meatballs with Pumpkin

Moroccan cuisine is a rich spicy cuisine which uses tagines to cook the food. Many people think that tagines are a type of dish, but a tagine is a type of cooking dish. It has a lid and the condensation formed as the food simmers has to go back into the dish keeping it moist.

If you would like to know more about Moroccan food visit my Squidoo lens Tagines.

A tagine dish is not necessary to cook Moroccan food an ordinary pan with a lid will do just as well. I tend to use a tagine dish because it is a fabulous one pot to tabel dish,, and it looks spectacular. When you take the tagine lid off at table the fragrant aroma fills the dining room.

Making meatballs is always a hands on affair and it is best to get stuck in with your hands in a bowl and squeeze all the ingredients together. Pumpkin is not traditional in this dish, but it is a combination I tried in Australia and it is wonderful.


Lamb Meatballs With Pumpkin and Apricot

Ingredients

Meatballs

250 g minced lamb
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 / 4 teaspoon chili powder
2 handfuls of coriander leaves, chopped
1 handful of mint leaves, chopped
1 egg yolk
 Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil for frying

The Pumpkin and Apricot Sauce

2 tablespoons of oil
1 onion, sliced
1 thumb of  ginger, grated
1 generous teaspoon of harissa paste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
 100 ml chicken stock
 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes with juice
 50 g  dried apricots, halved and soaked in a little boiling water
 150 g pumpkin, cubed


Couscous With Pomegranites and almonds

200 ml chicken stock or vegetable
100 g  couscous
The  zest and juice of 1 large unwaxed lemon,
2 tablespoons harissa oil
1 handful of flaked almonds, lightly toasted
1 handful of pomegranate seeds

To Serve

Thick Greek Yoghurt

Fresh Mint.

Fresh Coriander

Method

Mix together the minced lamb, the garlic,  cumin coriander and chilli, season and mix well. Then add the egg to bind the mixture. Shape into walnut sized balls and place on a baking tray.

To make the pumpkin and Apricot Sauce.
Saute the onions in the olive oil until they nearly cooked then add the harissa and ginger. Be careful with the amount of harissa it is fiercely hot and it is easy to add more, but more difficult to take out. Add the garlic, cumin and coriander, leave for one minute until you can smell the spices. Than add the tomatoes and simmer for fifteen minutes. Add the apricots and water and pumpkin and simmer for about ten minutes until the pumpkin is soft and cooked through.

Whilst the sauce is cooking fry the meatballs in olive oil to brown them. Pop them in a hot oven for ten minutes to cook, in this ten minutes start to prepare the couscous.

Whilst the meatballs are in the oven prepare the almond and pomegranate couscous. Boil the stock and add the couscous in a bowl and cover tightly with tin foil. Couscous is small pieces of semolina and it does not need a direct heat to cook it. Add a little harissa to the olive oil and let it stand whilst the couscous absorbs the cooking liquid. After ten minutes add the lemon juice and the harissa oil. To serve sprinkle the zest of the lemon over the couscous.