Fragrant Tajine of Meatballs, Spinach and Chickpeas

Name: Fragrant Tajine of Meatballs, Spinach and Chickpeas
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Middle East
Ingredients: 3 cloves garlic, chopped; Seeds from 5 cardamom pods; 1 teaspoon turmeric; 100 ml/4 fl oz yogurt; 2 teaspoons ground coriander seed; 1 teaspoon cumin; Salt and pepper; 1 onion, chopped; 12 g/½ oz butter; 450 g/1 lb minced lamb; 450 g/1 lb (cooked weight) cooked, chopped and squeezed-dry spinach; 100 ml/4 fl oz chicken stock; 200 g/7 oz cooked chickpeas

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Hot and Spicy

By Marlena Spieler

Published 1985

About

Meatballs and chickpeas stud a saucy simmer of spinach, tangy with yogurt and fragrant with a whiff of cardamom and garlic, among other spices.

Serve with crusty bread to scoop up the delicious morsels.

Ingredients

450 g/1 lb minced lamb
1 onion, chopped
1

Middle East
Main course
Gluten-free
Spicy

Method

Combine the meat with the onion, cumin, salt and pepper. Roll into tiny balls and brown in a pan. Pour off any fat or grease from the pan.
Add the chickpeas and spinach to the pan with the meatballs, taking care not to break them up, then add the stock, turmeric and cardamom. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
In a separate pan, sauté the garlic lightly in