Moroccan Meatballs.
The main course at many special meals in Morocco is a tagine. Keep in mind that the word tagine refers both to the culinary creation and to the vessel in which it is cooked and/or served.
As you can see, my tagine is nicely decorated; it was purchased for my 50th birthday in the Arab Market in Marseille. Because we don’t know the composition of its glaze, we choose to use it solely for serving.
Today’s tagine recipe is for Goat (or Lamb) Kefta. (Tucson readers: ground goat is available at L&B Farm at the Heirloom farmers Markets.) Kefta are meatballs. They cook quickly and, because they are naturally porous, they soak in all the flavors of the sauce beautifully.
The sauce in this dish is almost as important to me as the meat. Make sure you serve this in shallow bowls so the sauce can be sopped with khobz, the Moroccan tagine bread pictured above. A nice dessert to follow would be slices of orange drizzled with orange blossom water and dusted with cinnamon.
~ David
Goat Kefta Tagine
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground goat or lamb (see note)
- 6 tablespoons crème fraîche
- 4 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
- 1 large red onion, grated
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 1/2 cups hot water
- 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Pulse together the first 11 ingredients in a food processor until pasty. Form the mixture into approximately 60 one-inch balls (wet your hands lightly if the mixture sticks). Refrigerate in one layer on a cookie sheet or platter.
- Set an 16-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the grated onion, butter, saffron, spices, salt, 1 1/2 cups of the cilantro, and 1 1/2 cups hot water. Increase the temperature and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the kefta from the refrigerator and add to the skillet; increase heat to medium and, when simmering, reduce heat again and poach, covered, for 15-20 minutes, turning them a couple of times throughout.
- Add the lemon juice and, if needed, season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a warmed tagine or covered casserole for serving. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and serve directly from the tagine or casserole. Serve with khobz – tagine bread – on the side for mopping up the sauce.
- Serves 8
- Note: if goat and lamb are not to your liking, try this with beef or turkey.
© 2024 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Adapted from the recipe by Paula Wolfert.
Mad Dog
November 11, 2023 at 3:54 amFantastic! I love albondigas and am going straight out to buy some goat – no kidding!
That’s a beautiful tagine too.
Cocoa & Lavender
November 11, 2023 at 8:40 amThanks, Mad Dog — I love this dish for its incredible flavor and simplicity. I hope you enjoy it too.
Mimi Rippee
November 11, 2023 at 5:50 amI love all of the seasonings in the meatballs and the sauce. How delightful your kitchen must have smelled when you made this!
Cocoa & Lavender
November 11, 2023 at 8:41 amWho needs air fresheners, right? I just cook all the time and the house smells fantastic.
Fran @ G'day Souffle
November 11, 2023 at 8:10 amInteresting that your meatballs don’t contain the usual breadcrumbs and egg to bind the meat together. Nice to know that meatballs will actually work if you don’t include them in the recipe! I only became acquainted with goat meat last month while staying in Brooklyn, when I decided to venture to the Pakistani/Indian area on Coney Island Ave. I made a goat stew and the meat was surprisingly mild. When I returned to San Diego, I thought I’d never find any goat meat, but surprisingly found a very good Middle Eastern store (even better than the one in Brooklyn). Well, I will definitely try your meatballs and won’t miss having to add bread crumbs and egg!
Cocoa & Lavender
November 11, 2023 at 8:43 amThese are so much easier — and they cook so quickly, too. Goat — especially when farm raised — is such a sweet meat, very similar to lamb. I love it. I’ll have to check my Middle Eastern groceries to see if they carry it.
Jill W Becker
November 11, 2023 at 9:54 amTurkey and what green leafy thing??? Love cooking in one and serving in another. Happy Saturday.
Cocoa & Lavender
November 12, 2023 at 7:53 amI would use good old parsley. Can’t go wrong there. Mint would be nice, too.
Eha Carr
November 11, 2023 at 3:41 pmAbsolutely love the recipe and shall copy it using lamb whilst I search for goat. Many of our private butchers seem to keep it but only the supermarkets in areas of high Middle Eastern population do so . . . Actually and oddly we seem to produce plenty of goat for export (largely to the US and parts Asia) but it is not as yet highly enough appreciated here ?!!! I learned to love it on our many trips to Fiji where it is a favoured meat for the endless curries !
Cocoa & Lavender
November 12, 2023 at 7:54 amGoat isn’t all that popular here (I’m doing my best to make it so!) I’ve made this with lamb and it was excellent — I know you will love it.
Bob and Ursula
November 11, 2023 at 4:29 pmAbsolutely fabulous! This will definitely be put on our to-do list this winter, although it’ll never look as tasty as yours!
Cocoa & Lavender
November 12, 2023 at 7:55 amI imagine yours will look just perfect! I think you will really enjoy it.
angiesrecipes
November 11, 2023 at 9:00 pmI really need to get myself a tagine…your goat kefta looks so tender, flavourful and moreish, David. Those rustic flatbread are looking good too.
Cocoa & Lavender
November 12, 2023 at 7:56 amThanks, Angie — it’s a truly flavorful dish. (And the bread is absolutely necessary.)
Judee
November 12, 2023 at 5:24 amWe love Moroccan recipes and my husband is quite a fan of lamb. Your recipe looks delicious especially presented in that beautiful tagine.
Cocoa & Lavender
November 12, 2023 at 7:57 amI love our tagine, Judee! I hope you and your husband enjoy this!
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
November 12, 2023 at 7:39 amThis sounds delicious. What an intoxicating mix of spices…. Luckily we have a local butcher who sells goat meat which. haven’t had in a very long while. Like Fran I was intrigued there was no “filler” in the meatballs. But they still come out tender I take it? Also that they are poached rather than fried. Is that a personal preference or original to the dish?
And yes, it sounds like lots of bread to “fare la scarpetta” is a must!
Cocoa & Lavender
November 12, 2023 at 8:08 amHi Frank — I’ll start with your question about poaching vs. frying. Moroccan tagines generally don’t use a frying method — braising is their technique, especially when using a tagine (versus my using a large skillet). I would venture to say they never fry but I know someone would prove me wrong. 😑 The meatballs are small and not cooked very long, so they do remain tender, even though my goat was very lean. I think you would love this, Frank.
Jeff the Chef
November 12, 2023 at 9:00 amWhat an amazing mix of spices. I’ll bet this is delicious.
Cocoa & Lavender
November 13, 2023 at 9:18 amIt is a really wonderful combination of spices, Jeff. It’s one of the reasons I love Moroccan cooking so much.
Ronit Penso
November 12, 2023 at 10:35 amThese look so tasty and fragrant. I like the addition of crème fraîche to the mix.
I’m now motivated to see if I can get goat meat around here. 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
November 13, 2023 at 9:18 amCrème fraîche is in really interesting binder instead of using breadcrumbs and eggs. It makes them incredibly tender.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
November 12, 2023 at 4:37 pmDavid, I love your journey of Moroccan cuisine – so many beautiful creations (and of course, props) you’ve shared. I haven’t really cooked with goat meat, but I’m now intrigued to give it a try.
Cocoa & Lavender
November 13, 2023 at 9:17 amIt can be hard to find goat meat sometimes, Ben. Whenever I can’t find it, I use lamb or beef as a substitute. Both would work really well with this dish.
sherry
November 12, 2023 at 10:50 pmI’ve eaten goat once, in a curry. It was tasty, I seem to remember:) This sounds great David. Love a bit of saffron and ginger.
Cocoa & Lavender
November 13, 2023 at 9:16 amI think you and I have discussed before that saffron makes almost everything better! Glad you like the recipe, Sherry.
Raymund
November 15, 2023 at 4:07 pmYour Tagine recipe has my taste buds tingling! The choice of using a special tagine from the Arab Market in Marseille adds a touch of personal and cultural richness to the preparation. Looking forward to trying this delightful recipe!
Cocoa & Lavender
December 5, 2023 at 3:46 pmI think you and I both believe that food presentation makes such a difference at the table. If we make something beautiful, we have put our heart into it, and I’m sure it tastes better!
Pauline McNee
November 16, 2023 at 6:58 pmAll those spices tell me how flavoursome your dish is. Great photos in your beautifully decorated tagine too. I’m not game to actually cook much in my tagine either. We really like eating goat. Many years ago, for a farewell party at our house, we bought a whole goat from a local country butcher and cooked it on a rotissorie, along with a couple of other meats. It was a real hit. We can buy goat now at quite a few butchers here where we live. I saw some Arab markets and tagines in stock when we were walking through that quarter in Montpellier, but I had to restrain myself, didn’t fancy trying to bring it home. Such an interesting story David.
Cocoa & Lavender
December 5, 2023 at 3:48 pmPauline, you would have died laughing. If you watched Mark carry the tagine onto the plane as if it were a baby! After that trip, he said flatly, “no more ceramics!” Still, I think I buy something ceramic every trip…
I’m so pleased to hear that you like goat. So many people are afraid to try it, but I find it so flavorful and very similar to lamb. It would’ve been fun to be at your going away party to try the rotisserie goat… Sounds incredible.
Valentina
November 20, 2023 at 4:11 pmSuch delicious flavors in this recipe. You are the Tagine King, David! This one is beautiful and smart to keep it “serve only” just in case. 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
December 5, 2023 at 3:49 pmI have at least one more tagine to share from my Moroccan obsession. I use mahi-mahi, and it’s unbelievable. So stay tuned for that…
Christina Conte
December 2, 2023 at 11:50 pmFantastic! Looks like a great dish to have anytime of year, truly! Looks like Italy isn’t the only country to do “la scarpetta” 🙂 Love it!
Cocoa & Lavender
December 5, 2023 at 3:49 pmFrank said the same exact thing about “la Scarpetta.“