{"id":17766,"date":"2010-09-26T12:25:20","date_gmt":"2010-09-26T19:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/?p=17766"},"modified":"2010-09-27T12:51:40","modified_gmt":"2010-09-27T19:51:40","slug":"moroccan-la-la-land-kefta-with-eggs-and-tomato-for-brunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/moroccan-la-la-land-kefta-with-eggs-and-tomato-for-brunch\/","title":{"rendered":"Moroccan La La Land: Kefta With Eggs And Tomato For Brunch."},"content":{"rendered":"

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The challenge continues in Morocco<\/strong>, where I’ve mentally traveled\u00a0the past few days.\u00a0\u00a0As a lucky contender still kicking my way through Project Food Blog<\/a><\/strong>, I’m now asked to “tackle a classic dish from another culture” that’s “outside [my] comfort zone<\/a>” —\u00a0I can’t wait!\u00a0\u00a0I’m excited to advance to Challenge #2.\u00a0\u00a0Thank you judges,\u00a0voters,\u00a0God, family and friends.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>During\u00a0international cookbook immersion,\u00a0a spark\u00a0ignited for Kefta with Eggs and Tomato<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0I\u00a0had sought to find a dish\u00a0we really wanted to eat,\u00a0one that\u00a0had\u00a0unique ingredients,\u00a0yet not a ridiculous amount, and one that didn’t\u00a0take too long to make, and it had to be colorful — I initially thought about Rogan Josh<\/a>, but it didn’t pass the color test.\u00a0 Another time for that.\u00a0 Selecting\u00a0an “ethnic classic”\u00a0I wasn’t familiar with\u00a0led me on a\u00a0journey, as the prompt\u00a0likely\u00a0intended.\u00a0 Before understanding\u00a0my chosen dish<\/em><\/a>, I\u00a0thought I’d be\u00a0dining in the Middle East,\u00a0then came to realize that I’d actually be\u00a0in North Africa,\u00a0most specifically Morocco<\/a> having the pictured\u00a0Kefta with Eggs and Tomato<\/strong> for supper with\u00a0Moroccan friends.\u00a0 It’s also a classic brunch dish and\u00a0it’s served as a snack at\u00a0bus and\u00a0train stations in\u00a0between both destinations.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Kefta with Eggs and Tomato (with Ras El Hanout)<\/strong> is\u00a0pin-pointedly Moroccan and\u00a0satisfies all self-imposed and set\u00a0standards of this challenge.\u00a0\u00a0What’s Ras El Hanout?\u00a0\u00a0Last week I had no clue\u00a0and\u00a0I’m still not sure how to pronounce it, but\u00a0now know what it is.\u00a0 After calling all over\u00a0town to\u00a0purchase it off the shelf, I learned one jar was available 40 miles away.\u00a0 At that moment I realized that it wasn’t\u00a0necessary to\u00a0drive there, since [it] is a somewhat subjective spice<\/em>\u00a0—\u00a0Meaning Ras El Hanout is not one spice<\/strong>.\u00a0 It’s\u00a0sold in countless spice variations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In Arabic, Ras El Hanout means “top of the shop<\/strong>” and refers to the best spices a seller has to offer<\/strong>.\u00a0 It usually contains no less than a dozen spices and\u00a0sometimes up to a hundred.\u00a0 It’s also believed to be an aphrodisiac<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0Does it mean that each\u00a0Ras El Hanout combination magically morphs into an aphrodisiac<\/a>?\u00a0 I’m not sure about that, but it’s fun to wonder\u00a0about.\u00a0 Since I had all\u00a0ingredients on hand, I made my own Ras El Hanout to find out.\u00a0 I found several recipes on the web and\u00a0chose\u00a0one that sounded best to me<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0I halved the recipe\u00a0and\u00a0added two ingredients\u00a0that were common in\u00a0similar recipes.\u00a0 Nibbles of Tidbits’ Ras El Hanout Recipe<\/strong> is posted here:<\/p>\n

1 Teaspoon of Cumin
\n1 Teaspoon of Ginger
\n1 Teaspoon of Turmeric
\n1 Teaspoon of Kosher Salt
\n1 Teaspoon of Black Pepper
\n1\/2 Teaspoon of Allspice
\n1\/2 Teaspoon of Coriander
\n1\/2 Teaspoon of Red Pepper
\n1\/2 Teaspoon of Saffron Threads
\n1\/2 Teaspoon of Cardamom
\n1\/4 Teaspoon of Cloves
\n1\/8 Teaspoon of Nutmeg
\n1 1\/2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon<\/p>\n

Toast and grind spices if whole, then combine all\u00a0and keep in an airtight container.\u00a0 I reused a saved spice jar and slapped a\u00a0new label\u00a0over it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Kefta<\/a> is basically ground meat, most commonly Lamb and\/or Beef that’s mixed with a variety of herbs and spices — It’s then formed into balls, sticks or loaves, and\u00a0grilled, fried or baked, etc.\u00a0\u00a0The recipe made here is based on one\u00a0from\u00a0The African and Middle Eastern Cookbook<\/a>\u00a0(pg. 103).\u00a0\u00a0I stayed true to\u00a0authenticity, yet made it a little tastier by caramelizing the Onions before adding them to the Meatball mixture, and easier by baking them instead of frying ’em.\u00a0 In addition, I added Garlic, as seen in many Moroccan Kefta recipes, and I used fresh Tomatoes instead of canned.\u00a0 Nibbles of Tidbits’\u00a0Kefta with Eggs and Tomato Recipe<\/strong> is posted here:<\/p>\n

1 lb. of Ground Lamb
\n1 small chopped\u00a0Sweet Onion
\n1 Cup of Bread Crumbs
\n4 – 5 Eggs
\n1 large minced Garlic Clove
\n6 large fresh chopped Tomatoes
\n2 + 1\u00a0Teaspoon(s) of Ras El Hanout<\/strong>
\n1\/4 Cup of chopped fresh Cilantro
\n1\/2 Cup of Water* (1\/4 + 1\/4)
\nFlat Leaf Parsley (chopped), a little for Sauce and garnish
\nSalt and freshly ground Pepper
\nOlive Oil for baking sheet and Onion saut\u00e9<\/p>\n

Saut\u00e9 Onion until caramelized.\u00a0 Add Garlic,\u00a0cook two minutes longer and\u00a0set\u00a0aside.\u00a0 Combine the Lamb, Bread Crumbs, 1 Egg,\u00a0Ras El Hanout (2 tsps.), Onions and Garlic, Cilantro and\u00a0S & P.\u00a0 Mix\u00a0together well, then\u00a0add\u00a0Water,\u00a01\/4 cup at a time until incorporated.\u00a0 Form into medium sized Meatballs and bake in a preheated 400\u00b0\u00a0oven for 25 – 30 minutes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

* Adding Water or Milk to a Meatball recipe\u00a0lightens\u00a0them up, whereas they cut like butta.\u00a0 There’s no reason for a\u00a0Meatball to be tough, unless you’re a biker\u00a0named One Tough Meatball.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To make the Sauce, combine the Tomatoes, Sugar, reserved Ras El Hanout (1 tsp.) and a\u00a0handful of\u00a0Flat Leaf Parsley.\u00a0\u00a0Simmer until reduced,\u00a0then add the baked Meatballs to the\u00a0Sauce.\u00a0 Form 3 – 4 wells for the\u00a0Eggs.\u00a0 Crack ’em directly into the skillet, cover and cook until Eggs are\u00a0set.\u00a0 Serve straight from the skillet with Crusty Bread.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For continued authenticity, we served the Kefta\u00a0with Sweet Mint Green Tea<\/a>, Orange Juice and Olives, popular beverages and a snack in Morocco.\u00a0\u00a0I properly mixed the Tea too.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Kefta with Eggs and Tomato\u00a0turned out to be\u00a0a flavorful, hearty and beautiful dish.\u00a0\u00a0For this challenge, I read\u00a015 – 20 recipes\u00a0to\u00a0create an adaptation that kept the dish authentic, yet\u00a0made\u00a0it easier to prepare and better to eat.\u00a0 I can’t help it — It’s\u00a0all I know. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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Could this post be worthy of (1) of your (200) votes?\u00a0 I hope so!\u00a0 I’m exhausted, yet\u00a0still wanting to line up standby guests for\u00a0the Discovery Dinner Party<\/strong>, in\u00a0the event there’s\u00a0reason to\u00a0celebrate.\u00a0 My brain is\u00a0on the last flight back from Morocco.<\/p>\n

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You may VOTE FOR ME here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The challenge continues in Morocco, where I’ve mentally traveled\u00a0the past few days.\u00a0\u00a0As a lucky contender still kicking my way through Project Food Blog, I’m now asked to “tackle a classic dish from another culture” that’s “outside [my] comfort zone” —\u00a0I can’t wait!\u00a0\u00a0I’m excited to advance to Challenge #2.\u00a0\u00a0Thank you judges,\u00a0voters,\u00a0God, family and friends. During\u00a0international cookbook […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[131,1203,359,44,1024,1,1520,320,461,2655,50,41],"tags":[4358,4329,3572,4355,2108,2564,2863,4359,4354,5381,4357,3315,4301,4356,4050],"yoast_head":"\nMoroccan La La Land: Kefta With Eggs And Tomato For Brunch. - Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/moroccan-la-la-land-kefta-with-eggs-and-tomato-for-brunch\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"FoodBlog\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/moroccan-la-la-land-kefta-with-eggs-and-tomato-for-brunch\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/moroccan-la-la-land-kefta-with-eggs-and-tomato-for-brunch\/\",\"name\":\"Moroccan La La Land: Kefta With Eggs And Tomato For Brunch. - 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