Normally, I would make my own meatballs. But time is short during the week and sometimes, you just gotta take a shortcut. I had never had packaged, frozen meatballs before one family get-together last holiday season, when a sister-who-shall-remain-nameless bought a couple of bags of them, then jazzed them up with a sweet and sour sauce. Not bad!
Taking her cue, I came up with this quick stew one night after work. Using a few Moroccan spices, I turned the plain meatballs into something more unusual, then teamed them with even faster-cooking couscous. Shortcuts may be worth taking more often.
Menu
Moroccan-style meatball stew with couscous
Cracked olives and tomato salad
Pita bread
Bakery baklava
Zinfandel
Tips
There’s no need to thaw the meatballs ahead of cooking.
For the stew, you can purchase vegetables of your choice at the supermarket salad bar.
Moroccan-style meatball stew with couscous
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
The spice mixture in this recipe is adapted from Paula Wolfert’s “The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen.”
Moroccan spices:
1 teaspoon each: sweet paprika, ground cumin, ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger, ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon each: ground turmeric, ground red pepper
Stew:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small leeks, sliced thinly
2 small zucchini, sliced diagonally
1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded, cut into strips
1 tablespoon flour
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 package (1 pound) frozen cooked meatballs
1 cup instant couscous, cooked according to package directions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
1. Mix together paprika, cumin, black pepper, salt, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and red pepper; set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in large, heavy skillet; add leeks. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, 3 minutes. Add bell peppers and zucchini; cook, stirring often, 3 minutes.
3. Sprinkle spice mixture over vegetables; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring 1 minute. Stir in chicken broth; heat to a boil. Add meatballs; cook, stirring, until broth returns to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; simmer until meatballs are heated through, 10 minutes. Serve stew spooned over couscous. Sprinkle with cilantro.
Nutrition information per serving:
634 calories, 52% of calories from fat, 37 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 54 g carbohydrates, 24 g protein, 1,528 mg sodium, 7 g fiber
