North African Meatballs (Boulettes)
"In France, meatballs are called boulettes (sounds better than meatballs), and by far the favorite versions are the spice-scented North African type. Most of the neighborhood Tunisian and Moroccan restaurants in Paris offer them, served as an appetizer or a side, or in a fragrant main-course tagine with couscous. In Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, former French colonies, that’s what they’re called, too, at least on tourist menus; they also go by numerous other names in local languages. Jewish communities in those countries traditionally serve boulettes on Friday night for the Sabbath meal. Assorted sweet spices, along with chopped cilantro and parsley, are added to minced lamb or goat, then formed into delicate little balls. Simmered in a saffron-scented broth, they are usually accompanied by stewed seasonal vegetables."
photo by PaulaG
- Ready In:
- 1hr 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 33
- Serves:
-
4-6
ingredients
-
Saffron Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1⁄2 cups finely diced onions
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 inch piece cinnamon stick
- 1 large pinch saffron, crumbled
- salt and pepper
- 3 3 cups vegetable broth or 3 cups water
-
Meatballs
- 1 1⁄2 cups cubed day-old firm white bread
- 1 cup milk
- 1 lb ground beef or 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1⁄8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
- all-purpose flour, for dusting
- olive oil or vegetable oil
-
Couscous (Optional)
- 1 cup giant couscous or 1 cup medium couscous
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1⁄2 cup golden raisin, soaked in hot water to soften, then drained
- salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
directions
- Make the sauce: Heat oil over medium-high heat in a wide, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add onion and cook without browning until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, cinnamon and saffron, and stir well to incorporate. Season generously with salt and pepper, and allow to sizzle for 1 minute more. Add broth and simmer gently for 5 minutes. May be made several hours in advance, up to a day.
- Make the meatballs: Put bread cubes and milk in a small bowl. Leave bread to soak until softened, about 5 minutes, then squeeze dry.
- In a mixing bowl, put squeezed-out bread, ground meat and egg. Add salt, pepper, garlic, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric, paprika, cayenne, cloves, coriander and cumin. Mix well with hands to distribute seasoning. Add 2 tablespoons each of parsley, cilantro and scallion, and knead for a minute. May be prepared several hours in advance, up to a day.
- With hands, roll mixture into small round balls about the size of a quarter. Dust balls lightly with flour. Heat a few tablespoons of oil, or a quarter-inch depth, over medium-high heat and fry meatballs until barely browned, about 2 minutes per side. Drain and blot on paper towel. Simmer meatballs in saffron-tomato sauce, covered, over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, make the couscous, if desired: Cook according to package directions, fluff gently and stir in butter and raisins. Season with salt and cinnamon, and toss well.
- Garnish meatballs with remaining parsley, cilantro and scallion. Serve with couscous and roasted tomatoes if desired.
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Reviews
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These meatballs are incredible, and the couscous is almost just as good. The sauce is really simple, but so, so delicious. I wouldn't change a thing, and I'll be making this again and again -
Excellent meatballs and couscous! I'm going to tuck this recipe away into my best-of-the best file. The meatballs are so flavorful, yet no spice overpowers. The sauce that they simmer in is outstanding. I could eat that up as a soup! I used the larger pearled couscous so the meatballs would have something more substantial to rest upon. The couscous was yummy, too, with just the right amount of cinnamon. I just cooked up the whole box and kept the addition amounts the same. Yum! I cut the recipe in half and it fed two people easily, with a a little leftover. Note: I did end up doubling the tomato paste amount because I wanted my sauce on the thicker side. Made for the Soup-A-Stars during ZWT9 -
Excellent! I did not make the couscous. The meatballs were made using ground turkey. The hardest part is adding in all the spices. This was served over steamed brown rice and served with parmesan roasted tomatoes. -
This dish is super flavorful, almost a little too much going on but we found the more we ate the more we liked it so it kind of grows on you. I didn't make meatballs but left the meat loose. The sauce was very juicy not at all like the one pictured - 2 Tbls tomato paste to 3 cups of broth even cooked down doesn't get very thick. I added a little more paste and used beef broth instead of chicken and to give the sauce a little more body I added a little heavy cream at the end. This dish is one reflects what is one of the best parts of ZWT for me - trying dishes from other cultures that are out of your flavor/ingredient comfort zone and that you're so glad you pushed yourself to try : ) Thanks for sharing! Made for ZWT 9 N Africa by one of Mike and the Appliance Killers
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WOW!!! Talk about one very flavorful meatball, lol!!! I made this recipe, scaled back to 1/4 of the recipe, so some of the spices were just a shake or eyeballed. I was serving this with a sweet/cinnamon rice and they really complemented each other! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. Made for ZWT 9.
Tweaks
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This dish is super flavorful, almost a little too much going on but we found the more we ate the more we liked it so it kind of grows on you. I didn't make meatballs but left the meat loose. The sauce was very juicy not at all like the one pictured - 2 Tbls tomato paste to 3 cups of broth even cooked down doesn't get very thick. I added a little more paste and used beef broth instead of chicken and to give the sauce a little more body I added a little heavy cream at the end. This dish is one reflects what is one of the best parts of ZWT for me - trying dishes from other cultures that are out of your flavor/ingredient comfort zone and that you're so glad you pushed yourself to try : ) Thanks for sharing! Made for ZWT 9 N Africa by one of Mike and the Appliance Killers
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
JackieOhNo!
Stormville, New York
I didn't start cooking until my early 20's, even though I come from a family of accomplished and admired home cooks. While I grew up watching my Italian grandmother in the kitchen, I remained uninterested in trying anything on my own. As a young lady, I was known for being particularly ignorant in the kitchen, with no idea how to even make a hot dog! All this changed, however, when I got engaged. I realized it was time to let my inherent talents out of the bag. At the time, the New York Times had a weekly column called The 60-Minute Gourmet by Pierre Franey. Each week, I would follow these recipes diligently, and taught myself to cook that way. From there, I began to read cookbooks and consult with relatives on family recipes. At my ripe old age now, I feel I know enough to put together a very pleasing meal and have become accomplished in my own right. Having an Irish father and an Italian mother, I'm glad I inherited the cooking gene (and the drinking one too!). One thing I have learned is that simpler is always better! I always believe cooking fills a need to nurture and show love. After being widowed fairly young and living alone with my dog and cats, I stopped cooking for awhile, since I really had no one to cook for. I made care packages for my grown son occasionally, and like to cook weekly for my boyfriend, so I feel like I am truly back in the saddle!!
