Recipe for Moroccan kefta tagine

One of our favourite Moroccan dishes is a kefta tagine - delicately spiced meatballs in a robust tomato sauce with eggs poached on top. It's best eaten in a Moroccan home (if you're lucky enough to be invited), but is also a firm favourite at most medina restaurants.

Recipe for 4

For the sauce:
4tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g well-flavoured tomatoes, or 1 tin tomatoes
handful of chopped coriander
1 tbsp tomato paste
pinch of dried chili flakes
paprika

For the kefta:
4tsp cumin seeds, dry-roasted and ground
1 finely chopped onion
1 crushed garlic clove
500g minced lamb
5 eggs
handful of chopped parsley
oil for frying
salt and pepper

First make the sauce. Simmer the onion, garlic, tomato paste and tomatoes until thick, stirring from time to time. Add the coriander, chili flakes, paprika and salt and pepper.

For the kefta, put the onion, garlic, chili, cumin seeds, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add one beaten egg to bind the mixture. Form into small balls about the size of a walnut.

In a frying pan, heat the oil and gently fry the meatballs until browned all over. Put them into the tomato sauce and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Make four indentations in the sauce with the back of a spoon and break an egg into each. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the eggs are lightly set. Sprinkle with paprika and serve with bread.

See all The View from Fez Moroccan recipes here: Moroccan Recipes


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