Tunisian Meatballs From 'One Good Dish'

By
Kate Williams
凯特Itrich-Williams是a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Kate Williams
凯特Itrich-Williams是a food writer, editor, and recipe developer who wrote the "Cook the Book" column for Serious Eats.
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Updated Mar. 18, 2019
Tunisian Meatballs
Photograph: Gentl & Hyers

My obsession with meatballs rivals only my long-held fixation withDavid Tanis'sfirst cookbook. So I couldn't stand to cook through his new cookbook,One Good Dish, without trying his Tunisian meatballs. In his recipe, miniature, well-spiced nuggets of beef or lamb are briefly fried in olive oil before being simmered in a simple, fragrant sauce of broth, onions, and tomato paste. Tanis thickens the sauce using a bit of magic—lightly flouring the meatballs before frying and simmering. The small amount of flour left on the meatballs turns the sauce to velvet, and it clings to both the meat and the buttery pilaf of Israeli couscous and raisins.

Why I picked this recipe:These meatballs, served with buttery couscous, were one of the most substantial meals in Tanis's book. Also, I love meatballs.

What worked:The long list of spices came together in great harmony, and the completed meatballs were perfectly tender.

What didn't:No problems here.

Suggested tweaks:Tanis suggests using beef or lamb in the meatballs. I think they'd also be great with ground pork. I had fregola sitting in the pantry, so I used it in lieu of the couscous to great success.

Reprinted with permission fromOne Good Dish: The Pleasures of a Simple Mealby David Tanis. Copyright 2013. Published by Artisan Books. All rights reserved. Available wherever books are sold.

Recipe Facts

Active:30 mins
Total:60 mins
Serves:4 to 6 servings

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Sauce:

  • 2tablespoonsolive oil

  • 1 1/2cupsfinely diced onions

  • 3garliccloves, minced

  • 2tablespoonstomato paste

  • One1-inchpiececinnamon stick

  • Largepinchsaffron, crumbled

  • Saltand pepper

  • 3cupschicken broth, vegetable broth, orwater

Meatballs:

  • 1 1/2cups cubedday-old firm white bread

  • 1cupmilk

  • 1poundground beefor lamb

  • 1large蛋, beaten

  • 4garliccloves, minced

  • 1teaspoonsalt

  • 1/4teaspoonpepper

  • 2teaspoonspaprika

  • 1teaspoonground ginger

  • 1teaspoonturmeric

  • 1/2teaspoonground cumin

  • 1/4teaspooncayenne

  • 1/4teaspoonground cloves

  • 1/4teaspoonground coriander

  • 1/8teaspoongratednutmeg

  • 2tablespoonschopped parsley, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

  • 2tablespoonschopped cilantro, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

  • 2tablespoons finely choppedscallions, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

  • All-purpose flourfor dusting

  • Olive orvegetable oilfor shallow-frying

Couscous:

  • 1cupgiant couscous, medium couscous, orm’hamsa

  • 2tablespoonsbutter

  • 1/2cupgolden raisins, soaked in hot water until softened, then drained

  • Salt

  • 1/4teaspoonground cinnamon

Directions

  1. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a wide heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, without browning, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, cinnamon stick, and saffron and stir well to incorporate. Season generously with salt and pepper and allow to sizzle for 1 minute. Add the broth, bring to a simmer, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. The sauce can be made up to a day in advance and refrigerated.

  2. To make the meatballs, Put the bread cubes and milk in a small bowl and let the bread soak until softened, about 5 minutes, then squeeze dry and transfer to a medium bowl.

  3. Add the ground meat to the bread and mix gently with your hands, then add the egg, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, ginger, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, cloves, coriander, and nutmeg, and mix well to distribute the seasonings. Add 2 tablespoons each of the parsley, cilantro, and scallions and knead for a minute. The meat mixture can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated.

  4. With your hands, roll the meat mixture into small balls about the size of a quarter. Dust lightly with flour. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs, turning once, until barely browned, about 2 minutes per side. Drain and blot on paper towels.

  5. Add the meatballs to the sauce, bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the meatballs are tender. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, adding salt or cayenne as necessary.

  6. Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to the package directions, then fluff gently and stir in the butter and raisins. Season with salt and the cinnamon and toss well.

  7. Spoon the couscous into shallow bowls and top with the meatballs and plenty of sauce. Garnish with the remaining parsley, cilantro, and scallions.

  8. Note:Regarding the browning of the meatballs, dusting them in flour before lightly frying helps keep them tender and thickens the sauce, but they can be browned without flour if desired. Or, instead of frying, they can be briefly broiled before simmering. And if you don’t want the sauce, just finish the cooking in the skillet and serve the panfried meatballs crisp and hot.

Nutrition Facts(per serving)
511 Calories
33克 Fat
34g Carbs
22g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 511
% Daily Value*
Total Fat33克 42%
Saturated Fat 9g 43%
Cholesterol95mg 32%
Sodium788mg 34%
Total Carbohydrate34g 12%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein22g
Vitamin C 7mg 36%
Calcium 129mg 10%
Iron 4mg 21%
Potassium 605mg 13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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