Moroccan cuisine is celebrated for its bold flavors and rich tastes, blending simple ingredients into magical combinations. This article explores how to make authentic Moroccan tomato sauce and meatballs, offering a taste of Moroccan culinary traditions.
The Essence of Moroccan Flavors
The heart of Moroccan cooking lies in its spices and fresh ingredients. Common elements include chickpeas, dried fruit, olives, hummus, mint, rice, and parsley. The recipes detailed here capture these flavors, offering a delightful culinary experience.
Moroccan Meatballs Recipe
These Moroccan Meatballs are made with ground beef (or lamb), onions, herbs and Moroccan spices and wow, are they delicious! Keeping with tradition, there's no eggs, bread or dairy in this recipe. Morocco Meatballs are packed with delicious Moroccan spices, and so is the tomato sauce they're simmered in.
These well-spiced meatballs are easy to make. Mix a pound of ground beef (or lamb) with a small grated onion, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro, and and spices: salt, black pepper, red pepper, cumin and paprika. Roll the meat mixture into small, ping-pong-sized balls.
Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the meatballs for 5-6 minutes, turning often, to brown them on all sides. (browning the meatballs is optional but recommended.
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Ingredients:
- Ground beef (or lamb)
- Onions
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Spices: salt, black pepper, red pepper, cumin, paprika
Instructions:
- Combine ground meat with grated onion, garlic, cilantro, and spices.
- Roll into small balls.
- Sauté meatballs in oil until browned.
Traditional Moroccan Tomato Sauce
Traditional Moroccan meatballs recipes call for a sauce made from fresh tomatoes and, I have to say, the dish is pure perfection made this way. However, it's not always easy to find good ripe tomatoes year round and, luckily, this dish is also great with canned tomatoes.
To make the tomato sauce (using fresh tomatoes or canned), sauté a chopped onion in oil for 5 minutes or so, until tender. Add the spices: cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt, cinnamon, red pepper, and black pepper, and toast them for two minutes or so, stirring often.
When the sauce has cooked for 20 minutes, add the meatballs, cover the pot, and cook the meatballs for 15 minutes at the lowest possible simmer. Cooking on low heat is crucial for tender meatballs.
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Simmer the meatballs in the tomato sauce, covered, for 15 minutes. It's most important to keep the heat as low as possible, with almost no bubbling at all. If the meatballs boil in the sauce, they become tough.
Ingredients:
- Chopped onion
- Tomatoes (fresh or canned)
- Spices: cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt, cinnamon, red pepper, black pepper
Instructions:
- Sauté chopped onion in oil until tender.
- Add spices and toast for two minutes.
- Add tomatoes and simmer.
- Add meatballs and cook for 15 minutes on low heat.
Traditional Moroccan meatballs recipes call for a sauce made from fresh tomatoes and, I have to say, the dish is pure perfection made this way. However, it's not always easy to find good ripe tomatoes year round and, luckily, this dish is also great with canned tomatoes.
You can use a 28-ounce can of good quality imported plum tomato puree or crushed tomatoes, in place of fresh tomatoes.
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You can keep with tradition and add the raw meatballs directly to the sauce without sautéing them first. I tried this method and, while the end result was delicious, the meatballs were a little tough.
Table: Ingredient Variations
| Ingredient | Variation 1 | Variation 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | Fresh Tomatoes | Canned Tomatoes |
| Meatballs | Sautéed | Raw |
Matbucha: A Spicy Tomato Dip
Matbucha is a condiment made with slow-cooked tomatoes, hot peppers, garlic, olive oil, and paprika. It’s a spicy tomato dip popular in the North African region, and one I grew up eating weekly for Shabbat dinners. My Moroccan grandma would always make a big pot whenever she came to visit, and my mother followed the tradition. We love to serve it for Friday night dinners with fresh, warm challah.
To prep this spicy dip, you’ll start by scoring your tomatoes and submerging them in boiling water. This step is to make it easier to peel the tomatoes for a smoother dip. Once they’re peeling, finely dice the tomatoes.
Next you’ll cook fresh garlic and jalapeno or long green peppers in olive oil. You can easily modify the heat in this recipe based on preference, but we personally love it extra spicy. Once the garlic and peppers saute for a few minutes, you’ll add in the chopped tomatoes and roasted peppers if using.
The dip will cook down on a low flame for 30-40 minutes before adding in the oil and spices. Then, it’ll continue cooking on low for another hour or so. Cooking the tomatoes low and slow will leave you with a jammy tomato dip.
I prefer making a larger batch to freeze when preparing this dip. I will normally store small batches in the freezer for up to 3 months, and keep a small serving refrigerated for a week or so.
Ingredients:
- Beefsteak tomatoes
- Jalapeno
- Roasted bell pepper
- Paprika
- Fresh garlic
- Olive oil
Instructions:
- Score tomatoes and submerge in boiling water.
- Dice tomatoes, garlic, and peppers.
- Sauté garlic and peppers in olive oil.
- Add tomatoes and cook on low flame for 30-40 minutes.
- Add oil and spices, and continue cooking for another hour.
Once they’re roasted and cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and stem and finely chop the peppers.
Place them in a large bowl and cover them with boiling water for 20 minutes. This will help soften the skin to peel it off.
In the meantime, finely dice the garlic and hot peppers.
Add in the chopped tomatoes (and the peppers if using) and give it a mix. Cover the pot over a medium/low and let the mix cook down for about 30 minutes. Be sure to stir every 5-10 minutes.
After the tomatoes have cooked down a bit, add in the paprika oil to the pot with 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar. You can adjust the salt at the end to your liking- I used about 1 tsp total.
Cover the pot and let it cook down for 60-90 minutes on low, stirring every so often.
Once the tomatoes have cooked down completely to a jammy dip, adjust salt to your liking. I like to drizzle another 1-2 tbsp of olive oil over the top.
Cherry Tomato Sauce with Moroccan Spices
Sweet cherry tomatoes and Moroccan spices come together in 20 minutes to make a rich, rustic, spicy cherry tomato sauce you just want to put on everything!
It is a simple, easy, colorful, versatile and super flavorful sauce. And…. it’s low calorie, low fat, gluten free and vegan.
Sweet cherry tomatoes and Moroccan spices come together in 20 minutes to make a rich, rustic, spicy cherry tomato sauce that you just want to put on everything!
SAUTÉ: Heat oil in large skillet to medium-high heat. Sauté onions for 4-6 minutes until tender and lightly browned. Add garlic, seasonings, tomato paste (with a pinch of sugar) and harissa. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
ADD CHERRY TOMATOES, JALAPENO AND WATER. Bring to boil. Then lower heat to medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally. The total time for cooking sauce (this step and the next) will be about 6-8 minutes, After 5 minutes, help burst tomatoes by gently pressing with spatula or large slotted spoon to burst them (careful not to squirt yourself).
FINISH SAUCE: Stir in cilantro. Continue cooking until tomatoes form a sauce the consistency you like. More cooking will make it thicker. Add more water to thin it out if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings e.g. more salt, sugar, harissa, cilantro.
Ingredients:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Onions
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Jalapeno
- Spices: turmeric, cumin, paprika
- Tomato paste
- Harissa
Instructions:
- Sauté onions, garlic, and spices.
- Add cherry tomatoes, jalapeno, and water. Simmer.
- Stir in cilantro and adjust seasonings.
Moroccan Meatballs in Sweet Tomato Sauce
The star of the Moroccan meatballs recipe is the amazing tomato sauce, flavored with chutney, more herbs and Worcestershire sauce. It is rich and sweet, but not too sweet.
Mix the meat ball ingredients together and roll into balls.Bake in the preheated oven until done and set aside. (about 15-20 minutes.)
Meanwhile, sauté the onion in butter with the thyme and mint until the onion is lightly browned.Mix in the rest of the sauce ingredients.Stir well and cook for about 15 minutes.
The different spices give it delightful sweet & spicy flavor.
When done, remove from the heat & cover.Drain about half the juice from the diced tomatoes & place into a sauce pan. Add the tomato sauce, onion, garlic, parsley, olive oil & spices. Simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Add the meatballs to the sauce & continue cooking together for another 5-10 minutes.
Ingredients:
- Meatballs
- Onion
- Thyme
- Mint
- Diced tomatoes
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Olive oil
- Chutney
- Worcestershire sauce
Instructions:
- Bake meatballs until done.
- Sauté onion in butter with thyme and mint.
- Mix in remaining sauce ingredients and simmer.
- Add meatballs to the sauce and cook for 5-10 minutes.
I added a few teaspoons of Ras el Hanout because I like the complex and unique flavor it adds to the tomato sauce. It is a fragrant Moroccan spice blend that can be found in larger super markets or whole foods markets. Literally translated, the name means "head of the shop", and is customarily a blend of the best spices the seller can offer. This is a fun spice mix to play around with. It works well in tagines and tomato-based soups and stews when you want to add flavor for minimal effort. If you have a well-stocked spice pantry you could make your own blend.
Literally translated, the name means "head of the shop", and is customarily a blend of the best spices the seller can offer.
If you do not have Ras el Hanout, add an extra 1/2 teaspoon to the additional spices in the recipe (except for cinnamon and turmeric) plus 1/4 tsp. cardamom and 1 tsp. ground coriander.
Preserved lemons lend a special flavor. But lemon zest gives a similar bright acidity the sauce needs. In this case, a squeeze of lemon might be needed at the end, but taste and decide for yourself.
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tags: #Moroccan
