Meatballs With Chick Peas & Preserved Lemon -- Morocco

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 3 cups ground chicken
• 1 medium brown onion, grated (on very finely chopped)
• 4 slices wholemeal bread (store bought, or use 3 slices of homemade)
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ras el hanout spice mix
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch black pepper
• olive oil or sunflower oil (for frying)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 400 g canned chick-peas, rinsed & drained
• 1/2-1 preserved lemon
• 2 liters water
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 6 tablespoons fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 4 teaspoons ras el hanout spice mix
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• salt
• olive oil or sunflower oil (for frying)

Recipe

• 1 to make the meatballs:.
• 2 tear the bread into tiny pieces - to make breadcrumbs.
• 3 in a large bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients. use your hands to squich the mixture together until it is mixed really well (i usually wear gloves to do this!).
• 4 allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes then taking a tablespoon at a time, roll into meatballs.
• 5 gently fry them in a little olive oil or sunflower oil, until they are golden on all sides. drain on kitchen paper & set aside.
• 6 to make the sauce:.
• 7 fry the onion in a little oil. when it is a pale golden colour, add the spices & cook for a further minute.
• 8 remove the flesh from the preserved lemon. wash well to remove some of the saltiness then cut very finely. add the lemon & the rest of the ingredients (except the cilantro & the lemon juice) to the pan.
• 9 cover & simmer for 1 hour.
• 10 after an hour, remove the lid. reduce the sauce until you have just enough to serve the meatballs in - you don't want too much but you don't want to serve dry meatballs either! when the sauce is the right consistency, add the cilantro & lemon juice & cook for a minute.
• 11 sprinkle more finely chopped cilantro over the top & serve.