These Moroccan meatballs are one of the dishes that O requests on a regular basis, but I simply hate rolling meatballs on a, well, regular basis. Despite being a fairly simple dinner, the outside, intellectual thought of diving my hands into squishy ground beef, albeit infused with spicy ginger and fresh cilantro, is unappealing to me. In the moment, though, as the tomato-kalamata sauce simmers on the stove next to me, I’m a changed woman. When I take that first bite, I sigh and mentally add Moroccan meatballs to next week’s meal plan.
You’ll love this dish because it’s elegant yet down-to-earth, fit for company but perfect on an ordinary weeknight, filling yet fresh. Despite the slightly more exotic flavors, the individual ingredients are simple to find, relying mostly on the sweet playfulness of cinnamon in dressing up ordinary flavors. You’ve never had such tender meatballs, I promise you, and there’s even a vegan option! Lately I’ve actually made this recipe with meat for O.. whilst subbing in ground seitan for ground beef and a flax egg for an, uh, egg-egg for me, making it totally vegan, yet just as satisfying, complex, and delicious. Check it out–it’s a perfect way to eat more of a plant-based diet around someone who demands meat (I’m looking at you, hubs-to-be). Speaking of, we’re finally tying the knot in only about 40 days now! If you’ve noticed a bit of a drop off in regular posts, that’s why. I’m not sure if you know this but……. weddings are a lot of work. So… bear with us. These days I’m lucky to actually make dinner from scratch–I have a tendency to work until it’s dark without a thought to dinner, and then O says, “I guess we can go out”, and 30 minutes later, I’m sipping a margarita with a top-knot and crazy eyes. It’s hot. Luckily, it’s too late for him to back out now. Not that he’d want to anyway. I make the best Moroccan meatballs.
