Moroccan meatball tagine with lemon & olives

Moroccan meatball tagine with lemon & olives

By Good Food
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(61 ratings)
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Prep: 25 mins Cook: 40 mins

Easy

Serves 4
A wonderfully aromatic North African lamb casserole with a citrus tang - great for dinner parties

Nutrition and extra info

  • Freezable

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal394
  • fat26g
  • saturates9g
  • carbs11g
  • sugars8g
  • fibre3g
  • protein31g
  • salt1.7g
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Ingredients

  • 3 onions, peeled
    Onion

    Onion

    un-yun

    Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…

  • 500g minced lamb
  • zest and juice 1 unwaxed lemon, quartered
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
    olive oil

    Olive oil

    ol-iv oyl

    Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…

  • thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and grated
    Ginger

    Ginger

    jin-jer

    Mainly grown in Jamaica, Africa, India, China and Australia, ginger is the root of the plant. It…

  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • pinch saffron strands
    Saffron

    Saffron

    sah-fron

    The stigma of a type of crocus, saffron threads have a pungent and distinctive aroma and flavour…

  • 250ml lamb stock
    Lamb

    Lamb

    laam

    A lamb is a sheep that is under 1 year old; between 1 and 2 years old you will find it sold as…

  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 100g pitted black kalamata olive
  • small bunch coriander, chopped
  • couscous or fresh crusty bread, to serve
    Couscous

    Couscous

    koos-koos

    Consisting of many tiny granules made from steamed and dried durum wheat, couscous has become a…

Method

  1. Put the onions in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Put the lamb, lemon zest, spices, parsley and half the onions in a large bowl, and season. Using your hands, mix until well combined, then shape into walnut-sized balls.

  2. Heat the oil in a large flameproof dish, or tagine with a lid, then add the remaining onions, ginger, chilli and saffron. Cook for 5 mins until the onion is softened and starting to colour. Add the lemon juice, stock, tomato purée and olives, then bring to the boil. Add the meatballs, one at a time, then reduce the heat, cover with the lid and cook for 20 mins, turning the meatballs a couple of times.

  3. Remove lid, then add the coriander and lemon wedges, tucking them in between the meatballs. Cook, uncovered, for a further 10 mins until the liquid has reduced and thickened slightly. Serve hot with couscous or fresh crusty bread.

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Comments, questions and tips

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lemkess
16th Aug, 2017
5.05
Absolutely delicious recipe! I love citrus and this had just the right amount of tang and heat. Couldn't find lamb mince on the day so substituted for beef and beef stock and still worked great. Super!
Misty51
6th Aug, 2017
5.05
The first time I made this I didn't have cayenne pepper and the sauce was a bit runny but I made it again yesterday. I followed the advice and doubled the spice, and only one lemon. I also used a hot red chilli because we like the heat. It was delicious.
sophiehall
31st Aug, 2016
5.05
This is a fabulous recipe, really easy to follow and reasonably quick to make. I prepped this and did the first 20min cook ahead of time and then just brought it to the boil about 10-15 mina before serving, tasted great and was stress free entertaining.
SammySeabass
4th Jul, 2016
5.05
This is incredibly delicious. Like many others, I didn't include the lemon wedges and cooked it for slightly longer. I added a bit more cayenne too. A truly delicious combination of flavours. Fantastic served with rice and tzatziki.
slugforabutt
8th Jun, 2016
4.05
A little too much lemon for me and my wife. But all the other flavours are excellent. I have never tried Moroccan food before, but my wife has slummed it in the non touristy bits of Morocco and reckons this is pretty good. The recipe is utterly vague about the lemon, but please people use the lemon rind, juice and wedges OF THE SAME LEMON. Put the squeezed wedges in the dish, DO NOT use another lemon or it will be too much. Lemon madness aside, this was absolutely delicious.
Pridotcom
13th Mar, 2016
5.05
Divine! This is a regular meal in our household. We double the spices, reduce the lemon juice and add a little more stock for a saucier dish. Perfect with couscous and topped with toasted pine nuts. Enjoy!
Lauren.Cini
1st Jul, 2015
5.05
I have made this a few times and it always turns out delicious! Very warming and different. I serve with cous cous mixed with pomegranate, fresh coriander, lemon juice and olive oil.
Mwwardy
22nd Feb, 2015
Really looking forward to this, big mistake. The whole meal just tasted of lemons. I'd have fried the meatballs first and do not add the other lemons. Just not nice.
sarahjo33
4th Sep, 2014
5.05
I have made these 3 times now and they have amazing flavor and went down really well with all the family. I have also passed this recipe to my friends who loved it too. I have also made the meatballs in the morning and placed them on a plate covered in the fridge ready to cook later which speeds up dinner time. I left out the olives as most of the family don't like them. So full of flavor and smell delicious when cooking. A winner every time
jule955
22nd Jun, 2014
5.05
Delicious! Don't forget to add the lemon wedges, they really give the sauce a lovely flavour (I'll try to make more sauce next time). Didn't have any problem with timing, they were cooked on time.

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Dave Yeomans
26th Jan, 2019
5.05
First of all I have to say that this was one of THE tastiest things I've ever made in my life!! So I decided not to make the meatballs but cook the tagine as per the instructions in a pot. My method makes for a quick and easy alternative. - 2 cloves of garlic (minced) - 1 deseeded chilli (thinly sliced) - Thumb of ginger (peeled and grated) - Zest of a lemon (quarter and preserve the rest for juicing) - 1 Red onion (minced) - 1 Carrot (sliced) - Handful of coriander (pick the leaves off into a bowl and dice the stems) - Handful of Sultanas (about 60g) - 1 tbsp of Tomato Puree - 2 tbsp Olive Oil - 1 tsp of Cumin - 1 tsp of Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp of Cayenne Powder - 250ml lamb stock - 500g beef meatballs (halve them and re-roll after you've prepped the veg) 1. Get the oil moderately hot then sauté all the veg and sultanas till the onion is translucent - you can add some dried herbs, I had rosemary to hand which compliments the dish very well. After a few minutes add the spices in, stir for a minute or so then squeeze the juice from the lemon wedges in and discard them, add the tomato puree and stock, bump the heat up a little bit and get a steady simmer going. 2. Halve your meatballs and re-roll them, they'll fit in the pan better and are bite size. You can add them to the pan as you go or in batches. Once they're all in, give the contents a gentle stir and cover the pot, (this would be the time to sort your cous cous out...) repeat the process a few times over about 10 minutes or so till the meatballs are cooked through. Take the lid off, if the consistency is watery reduce till sauce-like then stir in the coriander. Take the pan off the heat, you're now ready to serve. I had this amazing tagine with cous cous, greek yoghurt, and a garlic ciabatta. Enjoy!
CelinaCooper
19th Jan, 2016
Fantastic Recipe! So easy. I discarded the lemon after zesting and juicing it. Instead at the end I cut strips of Preserved Lemon and wedged them in between the meatballs. It was a great flavour - preserving tones down the acidity to add a more mellow flavour. I also served some Natural Yoghurt with it on the side with Couscous. Will definitely make it again!
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