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 Adapted from Joyce Goldstein's Saffron Shores: Jewish Cooking of the Southern Mediterranean. She says, "The Arab name of this dish, ‘chems al aachi' means ‘setting sun' because the golden color of the sauce is reminiscent of the glorious sunset in Morocco."
The color comes from a saffron infusion that is incorporated into the sauce as well as directly into the meatballs. The original recipe calls for mixing 3 potatoes, peeled and shredded, with the ground meat to extend the portions, but when I tried this, I found that the meatballs fell apart into meat mush. Further, this recipe does not make a large amount of sauce, so you can actually double the sauce ingredients (except for the amount of cilantro). I replace half of the ground beef with ground turkey and also roast the meatballs in the oven to remove some of the fat before cooking them in the sauce.
(NOTE - can be kosher le Pesach if you use matzoh meal instead of bread crumbs...)
Serves 8 (made 41 meatballs using a rounded 1 tablespoon measure)
- 2 lbs ground beef, or mix of ground beef and ground turkey. Do not bother using lean meat – you will drain the fat off when roasting in oven.
- 2 eggs, lightly beated
- ½ C dried bread crumbs or matzah meal
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 t saffron threads, crushed and infused and ½ C hot water
- ¼ C olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (1 C or 2 large handfuls)
- 1 t sweet (Hungarian) paprika
- 1 t ground turmeric
- 1 t powdered chicken stock, or 1 bouillon cube crushed or ½ C chicken stock
- ½ C water (or 1 C if using powdered chicken stock or bouillon cube)
- Steamed rice for serving (optional)
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Make saffron infusion by crushing 1 t saffron threads in ½ C hot (not boiling) water – allow to infuse for ~10-15 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the meats and eggs; add bread crumbs or matzah meal, salt, pepper, and ¼ C of saffron infusion. Knead well with hands to mix.
Form into walnut-sized meatballs and set aside. I used a tablespoon to keep the balls relatively uniform. Do not make the meatballs too compact or they will be tough when cooked.
Pre-roast the meatballs on parchment- or foil-covered baking sheet for 10-15 minutes to release and drain off some of the fat. This is what will remain when you remove the half-done meatballs to add to the sauce. NOTE, this step can be skipped if you are in a rush and want fewer dishes to wash, but I found that the pre-roasted meatballs tasted better and are probably a bit healthier.
While meatballs are roasting in the oven, in a large sauté pan or skillet, heat oil and add garlic, fresh cilantro, spices, powdered chicken stock/bouillon/stock, and 2 T saffron infusion. Cook until sauce turns yellow and then add additional water (total liquid added should be 1 C). The sauce is what gives the dish its sunset name.
Add the meatballs to the sauce in a single layer and simmer until cooked through, about 10-15 additional minutes. Meatballs should cook for a total of 25-30 minutes between the oven and stovetop (or on stovetop only if you skip the pre-roasting step).
Add remaining saffron infusion and heat through.
sunset meatballs - made with potatoes, not pre-roasted, and made with less cilantro than called for; these fell apart into "meat mush"
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve hot with or without rice. If serving with rice, considering doubling the sauce recipe.
This post has also been published at Kosher Camembert blog. |
