I love lamb. Any cut. Any style. What better way to use my ground lamb from Bill Wood, of Wood'N'Heart Farm in Tatamagouche, than to do a dry run of one of the dishes that I'll be making at Chefs For UNICEF this April. The team from The Five Fishermen/Grafton Connor, has been appointed Morocco as our country this year, and one of the seven dishes that we will be preparing is this delicious and easy lamb "stew". It consists of meatballs made out of our local lamb, fresh coriander, dried coriander, paprika, allspice and garlic. It is all simmered in super simple tomato sauce and then finished with some eggs that cook into the sauce. A great and easy way to use ground lamb (or any ground meat), and a quick dinner that would impress any of your guests!
Meatballs
- 1 lbs ground lamb (you can also substitute with ground beef, pork or chicken)
- 4 cloves of garlic; minced
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c dried couscous
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
- chili flakes (optional)
Tomato Sauce
- 1 can whole tomatoes; crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 c honey
- salt & pepper
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 c chopped fresh corinader
In a medium size mixing bowl I add all the ingredients for the meatballs. To be sure of seasoning, I often cook off a little bit to make sure that all the flavors are there before shaping and cooking off.
I shape the meatballs into golf ball size and set aside on a plate while my oil heats up in my pot or tagine (I used my tagine for this recipe, but a large skillet or pot works too).
I brown the meatballs on high heat and on all sides before adding my tomato sauce.
I add the tomato sauce that I have mixed quickly in another bowl. The sauce does not need to be cooked or heated up before adding to the meat. Once added, I lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, just until the meat has cooked and the sauce has reduced a little bit.
Just before serving, I add in the 1/4 cup of chopped coriander and the eggs. I then cover with a lid and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until the eggs have cooked to the desired doneness (I like my yolks partially cooked for this recipe).
One last check before serving it up! I served it on some basmati rice and for that extra kick, gave it a good douse of Matouk's Flambeau Sauce!