Moroccan Dinner - Part 1

As ridiculous as it may sound, a meal at Walt Disney World inspired an obsession in our house with all things Moroccan and lamb! We had an amazing lunch at "Morocco" at Epcot with delicious gyros, couscous and tzatziki. Since coming back to the StL, we have been searching out recipes and restaurants to fulfill our desires for Morocco! I saw a recipe in a recent issue of The Rachael Ray Magazine for Moroccan-Style Mini Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Eggs and Flatbreads and decided to give it a try. Normally I try to avoid all things Rachael, but every once in a while you have to break your own rules and live on the wild side!

The accoutrement's for the lamb

Miniature balls of lamby goodness! Note all of the juices that the parchment paper caught! Totally made for easier clean-up!

Here's her original recipe: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Moroccan-Style-Mini-Meatballs-in-Tomato-Sauce-with-Eggs-and-Flatbread. See below for my adaptation. I felt like hers had way too much meat (which became evident upon finishing my variation, which made four full servings) and decreased it accordingly.

Makes four servings

1 pound ground lamb

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

6 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp Hungarian paprika

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 white onion diced

1 cup chicken broth

28 oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 tsp cloves

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheet with parchment. This is essential because lamb is so juicy when cooked and this will minimize the mess to the fullest. Combine the lamb, parsley, two-thirds garlic, lemon zest, chili powder, paprika and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. In my attempt I forgot that I was decreasing the lamb total by half and put the full amount of other ingredients per Rachael. This turned out great and tasted delicious and I will do that next time too! Form mini meatballs (about 34) and lay on parchment. Cook until browned, about 10-12 minutes depending on the size of the balls made.

In stockpot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened, roughly 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Crush cloves and add those plus cinnamon to stockpot. Cook another 10 minutes until thick. Add meatballs and simmer for 10 minutes.

Rachael recommended that one immediately pour the meatballs plus sauce into a bowl and crack an egg into it. She then said to cover the bowl with a plate tightly and let stand for 3 minutes to cook the egg. I tried this and it went horribly horribly wrong. The egg didn't cook ... at all. We had to microwave the bowls for a few minutes to cook the egg. Then instead of being a nice looking cooked egg, it was a mish-mash of scrambled eggs throughout. Do not recommend. Yuck!

Nutrition per Serving (approx. per sparkpeople.com): 429 calories, 29.9 g fat, 12.5 g sat fat, 2.8 g polyunsat fat, 12.8 g monounsat fat, 87.3 mg cholesterol, 428.3 mg sodium, 581.3 mg potassium, 18.7 g carbs, 6 g dietary fiber, 8 g sugars, 23.3 g protein.