Recipe Cristian Broglia. Photography Infraordinario Studio for Dalcò Edizioni S.r.l.
Gluten-free / Serves 6
Tagine is the name both of a type of stew as well as its traditional ceramic cooking vessel, which is used all over the Middle East and North Africa. The vessel consists of two parts: a shallow base and a cone-shaped lid, which is designed to capture the steam rising from the stew and channel it back down to add to the cooking juices. As it doesn’t need a lid, this tagine is cooked in a cast-iron skillet. The meatballs can also be made with a mix of beef and lamb.
Ingredients
Meatballs
450 grams lamb or beef mince
1 small onion, grated
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tagine
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 kilogram tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
6 large eggs
Method
Meatballs: In a bowl, combine the mince, onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt and black pepper to taste. Roll into 2.5 cm balls.
Tagine: In a deep cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the meatballs and sauté until browned on all sides, 4-5 minutes. Set the meatballs aside.
In the same skillet, combine the onions, tomatoes, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, black pepper and parsley.
Cook until it has reduced to a thick sauce, about 30 minutes.
Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Make 6 indentations in the sauce and break an egg into each.
Cook until the whites are set, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.
This is an edited extract from The Gluten-Free Cookbook by Cristian Broglia (Phaidon), Hardback $129.
