Spicy Egg, Meatball and Tomato Tagine (Kefta Mkaouara)

This is a simple Moroccan dish of onions, tomatoes, cumin and paprika baked with spicy little meatballs and eggs. Serve with flatbread.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 4  free-range eggs
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 500  g minced beef
• 2  tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon salt
•  fresh ground black pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1  large onion, finely chopped
• 2 (400 g) cans chopped tomatoes
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1  teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2  garlic cloves, crushed
•  salt
•  fresh coriander leaves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. For the meatballs, put the minced beef, parsley, cumin, paprika, one teaspoon salt and some freshly ground black pepper into a bowl and mix together well using your hands. Dampen your hands and form the mixture into about 28 2.5cm balls.
3. Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a shallow tagine or frying pan and brown the meatballs briefly on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and set to one side.
4. For the sauce, add the onion to the tagine or pan with the remaining tablespoon of oil and cook gently for ten minutes until very soft and just beginning to brown.
5. Add the remaining sauce ingredients. 2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ teaspoon hot paprika, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 2 garlic cloves, crushed and salt to taste.
6. Leave to simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until well concentrated in flavour but not too thick. Season well with salt to taste.
7. Return the meatballs to the sauce and mix together. Transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish if you have prepared the sauce in a frying pan, otherwise leave the mixture in the tagine. Make four slight dips in the mixture and break an egg into each one. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the eggs are just set.
8. Scatter with the chopped coriander and serve with warm flatbread.