Meatballs in Moroccan Tomato Sauce

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Meatball mix

1. 1
   Mix the ground meat with the onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, baharat, salt and black pepper until evenly combined.
2. 2
   With wet hands, shape patties the size of a walnut.

   💡Wet hands don't stick to the mixture, and the patties come out smooth and even.

To assemble

1. 3
   Heat the oil in a pan and brown the meatballs 4–5 minutes.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan

   💡Brown first for a crust and a roasted flavor; without browning the meatballs are softer and absorb more of the sauce.

   💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
2. 4
   Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStovePot
3. 5
   Add the onion and fry 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
4. 6
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
5. 7
   Add the cumin and paprika and stir about a minute, until fragrant.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
6. 8
   Combine the meatballs and the sauce in the pot. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked and the sauce thickens.

   ⚙ SimmeringStovePotLid

   💡Drop the meatballs into boiling sauce and don't stir at first: that way they firm up and keep their shape.
7. 9
   Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve with fresh bread.