Moroccan "Meatballs" with Saffron-Lemon Tomato Sauce - A Recipe That Saved My Marriage

Ordinarily, I shy away from the processed fake meat crumbles at the grocery store. I've never really found much that they're good in. Then a few weeks ago, as part of a failed and traumatic "Hamburger Helper" experiment, I was left with an extra package of the sad, gritty crumbles in the back of my refrigerator. Desperate not to repeat my traumatic experiment that both led to two days of indigestion and a near collapse of my fledgling 6-month marriage, I decided to try making north African meatballs. And you know what? They were amazing! Since this recipe basically restored my marriage, I'll definitely be back at the store next week buying more of these once heretical faux-beef crumbles!

Prep time 3 cocktails

Couscous
(I use bulgur instead of couscous, and really any grain will work - just adjust liquid and cooking time accordingly)
1/4 cup dried dates, chopped up to raisin-size if not already that small (or you can substitute raisins)
3/4 cup veggie stock
3/4 cup water
1 cup bulgur
2 TBSP butter (substitute faux butter to make this vegan)
Pinch of ground cinnamon

Sauce
A few TBSP olive oil
1/2 medium/large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic
1/2 of a cinnamon stick
A pinch of saffron threads, crumbled up
1/3 cup veggie stock (store-bought or homemade)
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 TBSP finely grated lemon rind (using the finest side of a box grater or a microplane)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped coarsely

Meatballs
1/4 tsp whole cloves
1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
Pinch of ground cinnamon
2 pinches of ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
Red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
1 TBSP grated or minced ginger
1 12-ounce package faux hamburger crumbles
2 TBSP tomato paste
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup oats, ground into a flour using a spice/coffee grinder or food processor
3 TBSP finely chopped Italian parsley
3 TBSP finely chopped cilantro
3 TBSP chopped green onions
5 TBSP olive oil
Additional white flour for dusting

Garnishes (all optional):

Additional finely chopped cilantro, parsley, and green onion

A dollop or two of plain yogurt

First, get your bulgur or couscous started. Place the dates (or raisins) in a bowl and pour hot water over to soften. Let sit a few minutes before draining water. Meanwhile, combine the stock and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the bulgur and reduce to a low boil, cover, and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 12-16 minutes. When liquid is fully absorbed and the grain is tender, remove from heat and stir in drained dates, butter, and cinnamon until butter is melted. Adjust salt, if needed. Set aside with the lid on.

While your bulgur is simmering, start the sauce: In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until fully translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Add the cinnamon stick and saffron and saute yet another minute. Now stir in the stock, tomatoes, wine, lemon rind, and salt. Reduce to simmer and let it reduce into a nice, somewhat thick pasta sauce consistency, about 10-25 minutes. After you've reached the desired consistency, stir in the olives and adjust salt to taste. Remove from heat.

Now make the meatballs. Combine the cloves, coriander, and cumin in a spice grinder and process into a powder. Now combine this with all the other meatball ingredients EXCEPT for the dusting flour and oil in a mixing bowl and stir until everything is incorporated. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat with the olive oil. Once the oil shimmers, you're ready to start adding meatballs. Make each meatball small--an inch in diamater and dust or dredge with flour. Then add it gently to the hot oil. Cook each side until it is fully browned, then carefully turn with a tongs. Repeat until the meatballs are deeply browned (but not burned) on all sides. Remove from the frying pan and blot dry with a paper towel.

Now take your frying pan off the burner and replace it with the tomato sauce, keeping the heat at medium. Gently stir the meatballs into the tomato sauce and let it heat up for just a minute.

Now serve the meatballs over a bed of bulgur/couscous, garnish, and serve.

Chermoula: The New Humble Star of Your Summer

While it looks like an unassuming--even lowly--green paste, don't be fooled. Chermoula can transform anything you make this summer into a hero's meal. Traditionally used as a topping or rub for fish or grilled meat in Moroccan cuisine, it is super versatile and can also be made into a mayonnaise for hamburgers (or beet burgers), added to marinades, incorporated into salad dressings, or snorted through a hundred-dollar bill off a hooker's belly. Yup, it's that good. It'll add a nice, exocitic ring to anything.

Prep time: 1/4 cocktail

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
2/3 bunch coarsely chopped Italian flat leaf parsley (don't use curly parsley)
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 pinch saffron (I know it's expensive. Get over it.)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp grated ginger
Juice of 1 large juicy lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup high-quality extra virgin olive oil

Put everything except the olive oil into the food processor. Pulse until it's broken down pretty well, but not to the point of being a smooth paste. Now, with the food processor running, drizzle the olive oil into the mixture. It's that easy!

Ras el Hanout

Ras el hanout is a simple, ubiquitous Moroccan spice blend that serves as the flavor bed for countless dishes. It is somewhat similar to berbere in Ethiopian cooking or jerk seasoning in Jamaican cuisine in that it is a fundamental ingredient made a little differently in all households and by spice merchants. Indeed, ras el hanout translates to “best of the shop” because merchants simply combined their best available spices into a blend to sell to shoppers. Additional ingredients can include anything from saffron, mace, paprika, and cumin to rosebud, insects, and even hashish. Rad. 

1 TBSP ground cinnamon

2 tsp dried, ground turmeric

1 tsp dried, ground ginger

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground black pepper

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground allspice

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cloves

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight container.

My Moroccan Stuffed Tomatoes Bring All the Italian Grandmothers to the Yard!

This years' tomato harvest in my garden would make an Italian grandmother weep with joy. I've been picking 25-30 pounds of heirlooms a week! Needless to say, I'm getting pretty creative in the ways to use the cute little buggers. 

Because you are hollowing out the tomatoes, you want them to be very firm, so use only those that are just not over-ripe and soft.

When you scoop out the tomato guts, there’s no reason to throw them out! I boil them down on into a tomato sauce that is a great base for pasta sauce, salsa, or many other dishes.

Prep time: 2 cocktails

1 cup raisins

3/4 cups whole, raw almonds

7 TBSP olive oil, divided

1 medium eggplant, skinned and cut into ¼-inch cubes

1 medium onion, diced

1 TBSP ras el hanout, (click here for recipe)

1 tsp dried ginger powder

1 14-ounce can fava beans or garbanzo beans, drained

1 tsp salt

1 cup of prepared brown rice

10 large tomatoes

Hard-boiled eggs (optional)

Heat a couple cups of water until almost boiling and combine the water and raisins in a soup bowl. Set aside for a little while until the raisins plump up. Then drain the water and set the raisins aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Bring three cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan on high heat. Add almonds and let them blanch until they begin to float, about 2 minutes. Remove and drain water. Allow to dry for a minute, then spread the almonds on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake the almonds, stirring every couple minutes, until they become toasted, but not burned. Remove from heat and let cool. Reduce oven heat to 300.

Heat 4 TBSP olive oil over medium heat in a large pan or wok. When warm, add eggplant. Sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add onion and sauté until it becomes a bit transparent, about 5 more minutes. Then add in ras el hanout and ginger. Sauté a couple more minutes, then remove from heat.

In a food processor, combine the beans, remaining oil, salt and ¼ cup of water. Puree until very smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, combine raisins, almonds, eggplant/onion mixture, bean mixture, and rice. Stir well.

Take the tomatoes and slice off the tops. With a spoon, scoop out the guts, being careful not to tear the walls. You can save the tomato innards and use as suggested as above. Stuff the hollowed tomatoes with the mixture. Bake on an oiled cookie sheet for about 20-30 minutes, or until the tomato skin becomes a bit wrinkled and the insides are all hot. Note that cooking time can vary significantly based on tomato size and type.

Serve with warm hard-boiled eggs that have been sliced, if desired.