Meatball Tagine with Eggs

MOROCCO

Tagine is the name both of a type of stew as well as its traditional ceramic cooking vessel, which is used all over the Middle East and North Africa. The vessel consists of two parts: a shallow base and a cone-shaped lid, which is designed to capture the steam rising from the stew and channel it back down to add to the cooking juices. As it doesn’t need a lid, this tagine is cooked in a cast-iron skillet. The meatballs can also be made with a mix of beef and lamb. Gluten-free / Serves 6

Meatballs

450 grams lamb or beef

mince

1 small onion, grated 2 tablespoons chopped fresh

parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh

coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin pinch cayenne pepper sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

Tagine

2 tablespoons extra-virgin

olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped 1 kilogram tomatoes,

chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped ½ teaspoon ground

cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cumin pinch cayenne pepper pinch freshly ground black

pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh

parsley

6 large eggs

Meatballs: In a bowl, combine the mince, onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt and black pepper to taste. Roll into 2.5 cm balls.

Tagine: In a deep cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the meatballs and sauté until browned on all sides, 4-5 minutes. Set the meatballs aside.

In the same skillet, combine the onions, tomatoes, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, black pepper and parsley.

Cook until it has reduced to a thick sauce, about 30 minutes.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Make 6 indentations in the sauce and break an egg into each.

Cook until the whites are set, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.