Kefta Tagine, Can You?

Kefta tagine – Moroccan lamb meatball stew – is one of my favorite dishes. For years I’ve been making a version from The Frugal Gourmet on our Immigrant Ancestors which is absolutely delicious. Now that I have a real tagine as well as Kefta spice blend, I decided to adapt the recipe a little.

Traditionally, eggs are cracked into the stew at the very end and they poach in the sauce. While this always sounds intriguing to me, it also seems a little heavy and I’m not sure how the eggs would fare as leftovers so I omit them. You could serve this stew with couscous to stay in the Moroccan theme but I always go with the completely non-traditional option of Basmati rice.

If you don’t have kefta spice, you can make your own spice blend with 1 ½ tsp. ground cumin, ½ tsp. cayenne pepper, ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and ½ tsp. cinnamon.

Kefta Tagine (4 to 6 servings)

• 1 lbs. ground lamb
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 onions, chopped]
• 3 tsp. kefta spice
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 lbs. tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1. In a large bowl, combine the lamb, 2 tbsp. parsley, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp. kefta spice, and 1 chopped onion. Form into 1-inch balls with wet hands. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the meatballs and brown all over.
2. Place the tomatoes and lemon juice along with the remaining garlic clove, onions, and 2 tsp. kefta spice in the base of the tagine (or Dutch oven) and stir to combine. Add the meatballs. Cover and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining parsley.