10 mins
Moroccan Lamb Balls with Eggs
Recipe by Graham
Moroccan Lamb Balls with Eggs is one of those yummy dishes that just scream to be eaten on a cold, winter's evening near the fire. Of, course, being a tagine recipe from Morocco, it's unlikely that that was their original mode of consumption, but nobody can accuse us of not thinking laterally here at NeedARecipe!
Ras el hanout is a spice mix from North Africa and is used extensively in Moroccan savoury recipes, sometimes being rubbed on meat or stirred into rice. It is widely available from any good spice store.
Monkfish Medallions à l'Orange 
Mother's Oat Cookies Ingredients for Moroccan Lamb Balls with Eggs
Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements
How to Cook Moroccan Lamb Balls with Eggs
- Peel and finely chop the onion and fry it gently in one tablespoon of the oil until soft. Allow the onion to cool a little then mix with the breadcrumbs, lamb mince, cinnamon, 1 egg, ½ teaspoon of salt and lots of freshly-ground black pepper. Mix well then, with wet hands, shape into about 20-24 meatballs.
- Fry the meat balls in the remaining oil in a shallow pan for about 8 minutes, turning them frequently until they are evenly browned. Lift out and set aside.
- Peel the garlic and slice thinly. Add the garlic to the oil left in the pan and fry until softened. Meanwhile, wash and thickly slice the courgette and add to the pan. Fry for 1-2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, honey, ras el hanout, about ¾ of the coriander (chopped). Season well, stir and cook until pulpy.
- Rinse the chickpeas and drain well. Stir these into the sauce and add the meatballs. Make 4 hollows in the sauce and break in the remaining eggs. Cover the pan and cook for 4-8 minutes over a low heat until the eggs are set. Scatter with the remaining coriander and serve straight from the pan with crusty bread for scooping up the sauce or on top of simple Boiled Rice to absorb the juices.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
If you like the flavour of garlic but don't like the "after taste", before slicing, cut the cloves down the middle long-ways and remove the central 'germ' (the thin stem that looks like a pale green or translucent vein). You will still be able to enjoy the flavour without everybody referring to you as "The Garlic Dragon" afterwards.
A nice simple Cabernet Sauvignon like the surprisingly good 2007 Clos du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from Alexander Valley, works very well indeed with Moroccan Lamb Balls with EggsReviews of Moroccan Lamb Balls with Eggs
| November 29 2014 Really delicious!! The first time I made this, we found it wasn't really spicy enough for us so next time I put a whole teaspoon of cinnamon in the meatballs because I love cinnamon and it worked really well (could have added chillis to the meatballs instead to make them stand out a bit more). Apart from that I followed the recipe to the letter and everyone loved it! brooklyn (3 reviews) |
February 01 2014 Lovely. Only gave 4 stars cause I changed a few things! Used 2 tsp ras el hanout spice mix (found it in Tesco) in the sauce and added a little cayenne to the meatballs. I browned the meatballs and cooked the sauce (excluding courgette) then put it all in the oven. Cooked for 30 mins then added the eggs and cooked for another 20 mins on 180c. Brigitte (4 reviews) |
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