Lamb Meatball Tagine with Eggs

Well I feel I must make a confession before I post this recipe and receive any praise or positive feedback. This really came about purely by chance. Let me set the scene! It was one of those chilly winter evenings when hunger strikes strongly and the desire to leave the house to attend any form of large building housing food is at its best, low. The CSQ went to the royal fridge and then to the royal pantry only to find that alas...they were almost bare. Disaster! So taking a big, deep breath she opened the freezer and began to rummage around. To her great delight at the back of the freezer, tucked behind two frozen bananas and an unidentified plastic container of something that could have been soup, she found a packet of lamb mince. With a good spice rack thrown into the mix, the ever faithful can of tomatoes lurking in the pantry, a few stray eggs and half a jar of olives, it was a case of "voila" and the Moroccan Meatballs and Eggs were born.

There is something even more rewarding about serving up something that is enjoyed by all and sundry, when you know you have really pulled it together from a very limited mix of ingredients I think. I hope you feel the same when you rustle it up sometime soon. It does have a good amount of spiciness to it, so feel free to tone that down a little if you prefer, or alternatively, if you like it hot, go ahead and spice it up! Some nice bread for dunking, some rice or some "throw a bit of boiling water over and fluff it" instant cous cous goes perfectly alongside this pot of goodness. You could even do a lovely fresh green leafy salad or some steamed green veggies if it takes your fancy.

If, like this Queen, your mince is frozen, you can easily defrost it using your Steam setting at 40°C. It will take around 20 minutes for the 500g packet, provided you haven't rolled it into a dense ball shape. When freezing and defrosting - flat is best and try to remove any plastic lids or wrap from the food as it allows the moisture in to help is defrost perfectly. Find out more about the basics of using Steam here!

This recipes utilises what I call the magic of the convection heat and steam in combination. Depending on your oven this particular function will have a different name - it could be Combination, Hot Air+Steaming, Convection Steam or something else similar. It is brilliant cooking a dish like this because it turns your oven into a "tagine" by circulating lovely moist steam around the food and cooking the eggs through while keeping them soft and "un-rubbery".  It also still gets your sauce to bubble and reduce a little and give browning to the tops of the meatballs. It’s the best of all cooking methods mixed into one. In Morocco, the tagine is the dish with the funnel type lid that in essence, keeps the food moist whilst it cooks with a higher heat source. Your CombiSteam can do the same thing whenever you utilise your Combination function.

Ingredients:
Meatballs:
500g lamb mince
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 onion (coarsely grated)
big pinch salt flakes
good grind of black pepper
1/4 cup freshly chopped coriander, parsley or mint leaves (optional)

Sauce & Finishing:
2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes (or 1 jar passata)
1 onion (finely diced)
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp castor sugar
good pinch black pepper
1/2 cup green or black olives (pitted)
4-6 eggs

any remaining freshly chopped herbs to serve

Method:

1. Place diced onion, salt, pepper, paprika & cumin for the sauce in a large shallow oven proof dish with a good slurp of olive oil. Place the dish on a rack in your Combi Steam and select Combination Steam (Hot Air+Steaming). Set the temperature to 230°C (and variable Steam to 30% if required). Cook for 12 minutes then remove dish and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, mix all the meatball ingredients together until well combined and slightly sticky. Roll into golf ball sized balls using damp hands and set aside. Add the tomatoes, sugar and olives to the onion mixture and stir to combine, creating a sauce. Gently place the meatballs into the sauce leaving the tops poking out. Return the dish to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes.

3. Remove the dish and reduce the oven temperature to 150°C.

4. Gently crack the eggs in and around the meatballs*. Carefully place the dish back into the oven and cook for a final 4-5 mins or until the eggs are to your liking (we like ours runny in the centre but set around the outside).

5. Serve sprinkled with any remaining freshly chopped herbs and a sprinkle of salt and pepper alongside whatever you choose (bread, rice or cous cous, salad, steamed veg etc).

*If you are worried about cracking the eggs in and breaking the yolks, try cracking them into a small ramekin or dish one at a time and then gently "sliding" them into the sauce.

This one is definitely going to make another appearance on the Palace dinner table really soon. I hope it finds a place in your repertoire too!

Don't forget to join me on Facebook and Instagram for more tips, tricks, pics and fun! It’s also the perfect place for you to share your comments and pictures of my recipes.

Happy Combi Steaming!

Yours in the kitchen,

The CSQ x