Orange Blossom & Honey by John Gregory-Smith

Author:John Gregory-Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Octopus
Published: 2018-02-26T05:00:00+00:00

Truck Stop Kefta

Whenever I travel I’m always looking for the best places to eat. Mostly that’s in people’s homes. But, as is often the case, it’s not always possible to have a magnificent home-cooked meal rustled up for you at the click of your fingers. Boo! On a recent trip to Morocco, everyone kept telling me to eat at the service stations if I was in need of a bite to eat. Because I live in London, to me, service station food doesn’t exactly mean gourmet. However, after being advised for the third time to eat at the local filling station I went, and got a real surprise. Forget overpriced sandwiches and dodgy coffee – in Morocco, service stations are where you get home-style food, cooked quick. Now I’m in the know, my service station go-to is always beef kefta; little meatballs cooked in a tomato sauce with egg. It’s fantastic, and a real taste of a mid-week meal, Morocco style.

Serves 2

as a main or 4 as part of a meal

FOR THE SAUCE

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

5 tomatoes, seeds squashed out, and flesh roughly chopped

2 tablespoons tomato purée

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon paprika, plus a pinch for seasoning

½ teaspoon ground cumin

150ml just-boiled water

2 free-range eggs

A small handful of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

Moroccan bread or my Batbout Breakfast Bread, to serve

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE MEATBALLS

300g minced beef

1 garlic clove, crushed

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

A small handful of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

1. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–6 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and cook for 10 seconds until fragrant. Tip in the tomatoes, tomato purée, spices and a good pinch of salt. Pour in the just-boiled water and mix well. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes until rich and thick.

2. Meanwhile make the meatballs. Put the mince into a mixing bowl and add the garlic, spices, parsley and good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix everything together really well. Using your hands, roll the mince into penny-sized meatballs.

3. Remove the lid from the pan and increase the heat to medium until the sauce is bubbling. Add the meatballs and shake the pan a little to help them sink in. Cook over a low heat for 4–5 minutes, or until half cooked, then turn the meatballs. Make two wells in the sauce and crack in the eggs. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Cook for 4–6 minutes until the eggs have just set. Scatter over the parsley and serve immediately with bread.

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