It's back-to-school season, and what better way to celebrate than with a comforting traditional meal: "Tagine dial kefta bil matecha." We're giving this classic dish a modern twist by adding pickled onions and a jalapeño yogurt sauce. While these extra ingredients mean a bit more work, they also make the tagine even more irresistible!
"Tagine dial kefta bil matecha" translates to "kefta with tomato (sauce) tagine." This recipe is quite similar to shakshuka, but without the eggs. However, many Moroccans like to add eggs at the end of the cooking process, so feel free to do so if you'd like! If you choose to add eggs, halve the amount of kefta meatballs and use four eggs. For a vegetarian version, simply skip the kefta and poach the eggs in the sauce once it's ready.
This versatile dish is perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner! It's also a fun recipe to make with the family—my daughters love helping out by making the meatballs. And most importantly, don't forget to serve it with plenty of bread to soak up all that delicious sauce!
KEFTA MEATBALLS AND TOMATO SAUCE TAGINE WITH JALAPEÑO & HERB YOGHURT SAUCE :
Tomato Tagine :
- - 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- - 2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
- - 1 can of peeled tomatoes (400g/14 oz.)
- - 10g of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- - 10g of coriander, finely chopped
- - 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- - 1 teaspoon of paprika
- - ½ teaspoon of salt (adjust to taste)
- - ½ teaspoon of sugar
- - ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper
Lightly Pickled Onions :
- - 2 spring onions (stalks removed) or shallots, finely sliced
- - 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
- - ½ teaspoon of sugar
- - ½ teaspoon of salt
Kefta Meatballs :
- - 400g of minced beef (lamb or a mix of lamb and beef can also be used), 10 – 15% fat
- - 1 medium onion (100g), grated
- - 10g of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- - 10g of coriander, finely chopped
- - A handful of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- - 2 teaspoons of paprika
- - 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- - 1 teaspoon of salt
- - ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- - A pinch of cayenne pepper
Jalapeño & Herb Yogurt Sauce :
- - 100g of Greek yogurt
- - 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- - 15g of flat-leaf parsley
- - 15g of coriander
- - 1 jalapeno, deseeded
- - 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- - ¼ teaspoon of salt
- - A generous pinch of sugar
Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan or saucepan over high heat. Add garlic, tomatoes, parsley, coriander, cumin, paprika, salt, sugar, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for about 45 minutes until the mixture thickens. Add water if needed to prevent drying.
2. While the tomato sauce simmers, prepare the lightly pickled spring onions, kefta meatballs, and yogurt sauce. Mix the pickled onions ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate. Combine all kefta ingredients in another bowl, shape into meatballs, and refrigerate. Blend yogurt sauce ingredients until smooth and refrigerate.
3. Once the sauce thickens, add the meatballs, cover, and cook for 10-12 minutes until browned and cooked through.
4. Serve the tagine with a drizzle of yogurt sauce and garnish with pickled onions. Enjoy with plenty of bread on the side.