Moroccan Meatballs

Ingredients for Charmoula Marinade

½ Tbsp. dried chili flakes

½ Tbsp. sweet paprika

½ tsp. grated ginger

½ onion, diced

½ Tbsp. ground cumin

1 garlic clove minced

1 Tbsp. chopped Parsley

¼ cup olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

1 – 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes    

Combine all ingredients and let stand in fridge for at least 30 minutes

Ingredients for Meatballs                                                                               

1 - pound ground lamb/Beef

¼ c. milk

5- slices white bread tore up into small pieces

½ tsp. cumin * see notes

½ tsp. paprika*see notes

½ tsp. chili powder*see notes

½ Tbsp. chopped parsley

1 egg

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

8 oz. shredded mozzarella

Pearl couscous


Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Meanwhile, prepare meatballs – soak bread pieces in milk until soft, add remaining ingredients and combine. Form into golf ball-sized meatballs and place on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes to seal.

2. While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce.  Heat a med. size sauce pan over medium heat and fry the Charmoula Marinade for about 5 minutes, until onions have softened. Add the tomatoes and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Add the meatballs, coat in sauce, and put in a baking dish at 375 degrees about 30 min.

3. Before the meatballs are done add shredded mozzarella for about 10 minutes longer. When melted serve over cooked Israeli /Pearl couscous. Garnish with parsley.

*Notes – I doubled the recipe so I could make the meatballs larger . You can substitute the chili powder, cumin, and  paprika for a Authentic Morocaan spice blend called Harissa!

Steakhouse Kebabs

Ingredients:
1 med. yellow onion
8  baby Yukon Gold potatoes
14-16 ounce rib eye steak
8 button mushrooms
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4  skewers
Instructions :
Cut the steak into 16 equal pieces if using a thin cut and 8 equal pieces if using a thick cut. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Place the steak and mushrooms in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, vinegar, rosemary, and garlic, and stir until the steak and mushrooms are well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil and cook potatoes until just barely fork-tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain and set aside. Then  cut the onion into 4 pieces.
Add a piece of steak, a potato, another piece of steak, and a mushroom to a skewer. Then add a onion chunk then another piece of steak, a potato, another piece of steak, and a mushroom again. Repeat with remaining skewers and ingredients.
Heat a grill to medium-high and lightly oil the grate. Add the kababs and grill about 5-6 minutes on both sides, flipping every 3 minutes.

Soprito

~ Slow Cooker recipe~


         Is a slow cooking  Middle Eastern dish  of  Beef in water accompanied by Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

Oil for frying
3 lb. beef roast
3 large sweet potatoes  peeled and chunked
2 Tablespoons  Bahar  seasoning mixture  * see notes below
Salt and pepper

In a large skillet heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil over a high  heat and brown the meat on all sides.

Using a slow cooker add the meat and 1 ½ cups of water,  start on high heat and once the water is boiling , turn down the low  setting and cook for  3 hours.
  After 3 hours, take  the meat out  and cut into cubes and put back into slow cooker.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them in to 1 ½ in. chunks.  In a large skillet  fry the sweet  potatoes till golden brown, season with salt and pepper and  2 tablespoons of  bahar mixture. And put in the slow cooker with the meat, lightly stir  and cook for another hour, till potatoes are tender, add more water if necessary.


* notes*
Bahar  Meat seasoning mixture

1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon  allspice
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon  nutmeg
A pinch of cardamom

Mix together and place remaining mixture in a jar with  with a lid to save for further dishes, such as Kebabs.

Beef tips with Pomegranate Molasses

1 1/2 pound beef tips
1 cup pomegranate molasses
1 bundle fresh thyme

Put the beef  tips in a saute pan and cook over med. to low heat for 25 min.
Stirring occasionally, then after 25 min. turn up the heat till meat starts to sear.
Add the pomegranate molasses and thyme to the pan. Cook until the molasses starts to get thick and syrupy. Turn the beef tips over for 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove the beef tips  from the pan and let rest for 8 to 10 minutes and remove the thyme bundle.
If the mixture is very thick add a few drops of water to loosen things up.
Drizzle the beef tips  with the reduced molasses  and serve.



Pomegranate  Molasses recipe
 Makes 1 cup of Molasses

Ingredients
4 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
For Molasses: Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a 4-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1 cup, approximately 70 minutes. It should be the consistency of thick syrup. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the saucepan for 30 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and allow to cool completely before covering and storing in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Beef Kabobs

Makes 10 Kabobs

1 pound ground beef
½ cup of chopped parsley
1 med. onion finely chopped
1 tsp. baking soda
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp cinnamon


Mix all the  ingredients, except the beef.
Add the beef and mix again.
Divide the beef mixture into 10 even portions and roll each into a long round shape.

Fry the Kabobs in a sauce pan with a little olive oil, turning the beef until it is nicely cooked. Approx. 5 min. on each side or until the Kabobs are cooked through.