Moroccan-Style Meatballs with Couscous

Ingredients

• 3 dried apricots
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 2 Spring Onions
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 400 g mixed ground meat
• 1 egg
• 1 stale roll
• 0.5 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• Tabasco
• oil for frying
• 1 can pizza tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 onion
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 250 g Moroccan couscous
• 1 tsp saffron
• 1 can small chickpeas (drained)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Soak the apricots in warm water. Toast pine nuts in a dry pan, stirring until fragrant. Chop pine nuts and apricots finely.

2. 2.

   Soak the stale roll in warm water.

3. 3.

   Wash, trim, halve spring onions lengthwise and cut into thin strips. Peel garlic cloves and mince finely. Mix ground meat with egg, pine nuts, apricots, spring onions, garlic, squeezed roll, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, salt, pepper and a splash of Tabasco to form a dough. Shape into tennis-ball sized balls and fry in hot oil until golden brown.

4. 4.

   For the sauce, mince onion and garlic cloves and sauté them in the remaining fat from the meatballs. Add pizza tomatoes, water if needed, and simmer over medium heat. Dice bell pepper after removing seeds and white membranes, then add to the sauce.

5. 5.

   Meanwhile cook couscous with saffron according to package instructions. Stir in chickpeas near the end of cooking.

6. 6.

   Place the meatballs in the sauce and reheat briefly. Serve couscous on plates topped with sauce and meatballs, garnished with parsley. Offer a side of Minzejoghurt.