Moroccan Meatball And Lentil Bake With Company!

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 lbs minced beef
• 1 garlic clove, peeled & crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 large onion, peeled & finely diced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 ounces flour
• salt & pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled & crushed
• 1 onion, peeled & diced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 ounces split red lentils or 4 ounces puy lentils
• 16 ounces chopped tomatoes
• 1 pint vegetable stock
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 8 ounces no-soak whole dried apricots
• 1 lb cherry tomatoes, on the vine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 fennel bulbs, sliced, keep the fronds
• 2 onions, peeled & quartered
• 4 carrots, peeled & cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 ounces brown sugar
• 3 fluid ounces vegetable stock
• 1 orange, juice and zest of, grated
• salt & pepper
• fennel bulb, green fronds from
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed (optional)

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas 4.
• 2 meatballs:.
• 3 mix the garlic, cumin, coriander and cinnamon, salt & pepper together.
• 4 break up any lumps in the minced beef and add the spices, finely diced onion and the beaten egg.
• 5 mix together well, using your hands.
• 6 shape into balls the size of a walnut - you should get about 32 to 36 meatballs.
• 7 roll them into the flour and heat up the olive oil in a large frying pan.
• 8 fry them in batches - do not overcrowd the pan - fry until golden brown, are firm & keeping their shape.
• 9 put the meatballs to one side.
• 10 lentils:.
• 11 heat up the olive oil in the same frying pan as the meatballs were cooked inches.
• 12 fry the garlic and onion over a low heat until translucent & golden but not brown.
• 13 add the spices and then the lentils and stir them around to get a good coating of the oil.
• 14 add the tinned tomatoes, vegetable stock, cinnamon stick & the dried apricots.
• 15 give them all a good stir and cook over a low heat for about 2 minutes.
• 16 pour the lentils into a large ovenproof dish and place the meatballs on top. scatter the cherry tomatoes around the meatballs.(they look good if kept on the vine).
• 17 cover and cook for about 1 hr, or until the sauce has thickened.
• 18 take the cover off for the last 10-15 minutes and allow the meatballs & cherry tomatoes to brown.
• 19 remove the cinnamon stick before serving.
• 20 whilst the meatball & lentil bake is cooking, prepare and cook the vegetable accompaniment.
• 21 take a large wok and heat up the olive oil.
• 22 add the fennel bulb, onions & carrots and stir well.
• 23 add the brown sugar, stir well & turn up the heat. cook the vegetables until they are tinged brown on the edges and the sugar has completely dissolved.
• 24 turn the heat down and add the vegetable stock, cover the wok and cook for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but still holding their shape.
• 25 add the orange juice and mix well, cook without a lid for a further 5 minutes.
• 26 pour into a serving dish & garnish with grated orange zest, fennel seeds and some of the green fronds from the fennel.
• 27 serve alongside the meatball and lentil bake.
• 28 garnish the meatball & lentil bake with some of the green fronds from the fennel bulbs.
• 29 flatbreads, rice or couscous would also be good accompaniments, if needed, for this meal.