Kefta mkaouara (tagine)

I never need an excuse to fire up the tagine, it’s a great cooking vessel and it’s always nice to come across new recipes to try rather than getting stuck in a rut. This recipe is based on a Rick Stein one which stuck in my mind from one of his various television shows, so this may not be his exact recipe, but how I remembered it and adjusted for my tastes.

500g Lamb or beef mince
Cumin, ground
Paprika, hot smoked
Chilli, flakes
Parsley, finely chopped
Salt
1 Egg, per portion
Tomatoes, 1–2 cans
Garlic, 3–4 cloves sliced
Onion, diced

In a bowl, combine the mince, a couple spoons of cumin and paprika, add chilli to your taste, salt and a handful of parsley. Mix together, but don’t overwork the meat. Use a tablespoon to scoop even portions of meat and roll into balls. Set aside.

Heat the tagine over a medium heat, when up to temperature add a good glug of olive oil and start browning the meatballs. When lovely and brown all over, spoon into a bowl and set aside.


Add the onion and garlic to the tagine and sauté until translucent. Add a spoon or two of cumin, paprika, salt and chilli to taste. Gently cook the spices out. Add the meatballs back to the tagine and stir. Pour in the can of tomatoes, and add some liquid if needed, you want the liquid to cover at least half the meat ball. Place the lid on and cook for 5–10 minutes.

Taste and season. Make little wells where you want to place the eggs and crack them in. Place the lid back on and cook for about 5 minutes, depends on the size of your eggs.


Serve with some good flat bread and strained yoghurt.

Kofta tagine

This is based on a recipe by Rick Stein from one of his many many travel cooking shows, the TV rather background noise than being watched when this dish piqued my interest, mainly because it was easy enough for me to remember to write down later, and a good excuse to drag the dusty tagine off the shelf and put it to use. The following is from memory, I did try to find a copy in one of his books I have, but no dice. It’s surprising quick and easy to throw together and perfect for the cooler months.

Kofta
Lamb mince
Cumin, ground
Salt
Hot paprika (or sweet and cayenne pepper)
Parsley, chopped

• Roughly work all the ingredients together and form into balls. Set aside.

Tagine
4–5 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Onion, finely diced
1 can of good quality diced tomatoes
Cumin
Hot paprika
1 egg per serve

• Heat the tagine over a medium heat, add in a good glug or three of olive oil and thoroughly brown the kofta. Transfer to a bowl. Sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the paprika and cumin, cook until fragrant.
• Pour in the tomatoes, thin out with a little water if needed. Bring to the simmer, and adjust seasoning.
• Arrange the kofta in the tagine, leave space for the eggs to be broken in, cover and cook for a couple of minutes, or until the kofta are cooked through.


• Crack in the eggs individually, cover the tagine and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the white is set but the yolk is still runny. Serve up with some crunchy crusty bread.