I love kefta. Any time I've gotten them at a restaurant around here though, they're always served dry. And they're usually formed into small patties rather than balls as well. So I thought it was quite interesting that Crocker describes kefta as "minced meat [...] formed into balls and poached in a tangy sauce". I quite enjoyed this version with the sauce. I'd also be interested in trying other versions as well though. I quite like the dry patties that I've tried before, so I'd love to learn how to do those ones too.

Spiced Kefta in Tomato Sauce

Slightly adapted from 150 Best Tagine Recipes by Pat Crocker

Ingredients

Kefta¹

• 450g lean ground beef
• 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. berbere
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt

Tomato Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 onions, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 fresh red Thai chile, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 375-400mL tinned diced tomatoes
• juice of 1 lemon
• flesh and rind of 1 very small or 1/2 large preserved lemon
• 2 c. frozen chopped spinach

Directions

1. Combine all kefta ingredients and mix well.
2. Form into 2-Tbsp. balls and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Kefta can be set aside until sauce is ready or, if not making sauce immediately, place tray in freezer. Once meatballs are frozen, remove from tray and place in a bag in the freezer.
3. Heat oil over medium heat.
4. Add onion and ras el hanout and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add garlic, chile, and ginger paste and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add tomatoes, lemon juice, and preserved lemon and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
8. Add spinach and simmer for 5 minutes.
9. Gently nestle keftas into the sauce, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, turning once or twice during cooking.
10. Once keftas are cooked through, serve in the sauce alongside crusty bread and/or rice.

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¹ If you don't feel like making the kefta from scratch, you can simply simmer a ready-made meatball of your choice in the tomato sauce. ^Back