Traditional Moroccan Kefta Meatballs with Carrot Salad
Ingredients
MEATBALLS
- 1 slice white bread toasted
- water or milk for soaking
- 1-1/4 pounds lean ground beef or lamb or a mixture of both
- 1 small red onion grated
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- small handful fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems chopped
- 3 tsp Ras El Hanout (recipe below)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- salt to taste
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- extra virgin olive oil
RAS EL HANOUT
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tsp ground mace
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground anise seed
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
CARROT SALAD
- 4 carrots peeled
- 3 tbsp orange juice
- handful fresh mint leaves chopped
- salt to taste
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- extra virgin olive oil
SERVING
- cherry tomatoes halved
- thinly sliced shallots or red onion
- handful of parsley sprigs
- marinated olives or feta
- tzatziki Sauce, Tahini Sauce, or plain Greek yogurt
- pita pockets, flatbread, or rice
Instructions
RAS EL HANOUT
- Gather the ingredients. Place all of the spices into a bowl and stir to combine evenly. Transfer the spice mix to a glass jar and store it in a dry, cool place away from heat and sunlight for up to six months.
SEASON MEAT
- Into a large mixing bowl add the bread and water or milk. Let it soak until softened, just about a minute or so, then squeeze the liquid out of the bread, discard the liquid and return the bread to the bowl. Add the meat, grated onion, garlic, cilantro, Ras El Hanout, ground ginger, and cayenne. Sprinkle in a generous pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Using clean hands, mix until the meat mixture is well combined.
MAKE & CHILL MEATBALLS
- Roll the meat mixture into bite-sized meatballs, about 1 tablespooneach. Arrange on a tray and cover. If you have the time, refrigerate for 30minutes. (This prevents the meatballs from falling apart when they're cooked.)
CARROT SALAD
- While the meatballs are chilling, use a vegetable peeler to shave the carrots into ribbons (or you can slice them into very thin sticks.)Place in a medium mixing bowl along with the orange juice, mint leaves, and a good glug of olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and toss to combine. Set in the fridge for now. Get any other sides for serving ready to go, like Pita Bread, rice, Tzatziki sauce, Tahini sauce, or Greek yogurt.
COOK MEATBALLS
- Heat a large cast iron or frying skillet over medium heat. Drizzle the meatballs with extra virgin olive oil. When the pan is hot, cook the meatballs, turning occasionally, until they're cooked through and charred, about 7 minutes. Work in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the pan.
SERVE
- Arrange the meatballs on a large platter. Spread the carrot salad along the side of the platter, along with any other fixings of your choice. Roll up your sleeves, dig in, and let your family, guests, friends, and neighbors serve themselves!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!