Moroccan meatballs and cauliflower couscous

Meatballs are a sort of soul warming food,  especially today when the weather isn't quite warm enough for comfort.  I have always found meatballs somewhat difficult to pull off, namely the "ball" part.  Despite tasting fine, mine always seemed to turn out a little bit more like mini meat patties.  It turns out that one way to achieve effortless, low-mess meatballs (that look like meatballs) is to cook them in the oven. This takes (most of) the worry out of ending up with a charred or flattened product. 

When I was a university student in Dunedin, I along with most Scarfies, became pretty good at finding different ways to use mince.  Moroccan spices are a great option to bring beef or lamb mince to life.  These gluten-free beauties are flavoured with cumin, coriander and cinnamon making them aromatic, warm and oh-so-tasty.  We served them up with a cauliflower 'couscous', a great natural alternative to normal couscous, which is made from durum wheat.  

Feel free to experiment with flavours here, we've come across recipes that have dried apricots in the meatball sauce- something we'll have to give a go!

Moroccan meatballs and cauliflower couscous

Serves 4

 

You'll need:

For the Meatballs:
500g beef/lamb mince
1 egg
1/2 cup almond meal (you can use flour here instead if you'd prefer)
1/4 cup fresh coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste

For the Meatball Sauce:
2 cans tomatoes (2 x 400g), chopped
1 red onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 tsp honey
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 cinnamon stick (or 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon)
1/4 cup water
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped mint/parsley to garnish 

For the 'Couscous':
1 head raw cauliflower
rind and juice 1 lemon
1/4 cup slithered almonds
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
1 handful parsley, chopped
1/4 cup currants

 

To make:

A note on timing:  Put your couscous and meatballs in the oven at the same time and prepare the tomato sauce whilst these are cooking.  Once your meatballs are cooked you can take these out and let them rest for a bit then warm them in the sauce whilst the couscous finishes off.

Couscous:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Cut the cauliflower into large florets. If the core is tender, you can chop this up and add it to the florets.
3. Put the cauliflower to a food processor.  Make sure not to fill the food processor more than 3/4 full; if necessary, process in two batches.
4. Pulse the cauliflower until completely broken down: Process the cauliflower in 1-second pulses until it has completely broken down into couscous-sized granules. (Alternatively, grate the florets on the large holes of a box grater.)
5. Transfer the cauliflower to a large lined oven tray (or two if necessary) and mix with lemon rind, lemon juice, garlic, a couple of lugs of olive oil, salt and pepper.
6. Put in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden and crispy, mixing at least once during cooking.
7. Transfer to a serving dish and add currants and parsley.

Meatballs:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Put all ingredients in your food processor and mix to combine.
3. Roll mince into tablespoon-sized balls and place on a lined baking tray.
4. Cook for 20 minutes in the oven or until firm when you touch them.

Meatball Sauce:

1. Heat a lug of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. 
2. Cook onion, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. 
3. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic. 
4. Add tomatoes, water, cinnamon, honey and season. Bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly.

To Serve:

1. Add the meatballs and simmer on low temperature for 2 minutes or until the meatballs are warmed through.
2. Serve meatballs on top of cauliflower couscous and garnish with mint, parsley or a herb of your choice.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until golden and crispy, shaking the trays at least once during the cooking process. Place in a serving dish and add the remaining ingredients. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Add a drizzle of good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice to finish it off. - See more at: http://balaboosta.com.au/recipe/roasted-cauliflower-cous-cous/#sthash.f35DNeCt.dp