Lamb Meatball Tagine Pizza And Other Cross-Mediterranean Explorations

I find myself endlessly fascinated by the various cuisines of the world. On the one hand I am intrigued by their diverse styles and flavors. On the other, I'm often also struck by things that they have in common.

Case in point - the similarities and differences among the foods of Southern Europe and North Africa - the "two sides of the Mediterranean", if you will.

One evening we made a Moroccan Lamb Meatball Tagine:



After my initial reaction (I love it!), I thought about how the tomato base in the tagine reminded me of an Italian pasta sauce (and an Indian curry sauce as well, but that is another story altogether). As is often the case, I was planning another dish while eating the current one (something Sherry finds frustrating).

In this case, the next dish was to use the leftover meatballs and sauce with pasta (taking it to the "North Side" of the Mediterranean). The pasta we used was Campanelle, which is named after its characteristic trumpet shape.



The result was very nice indeed. Probably even more enjoyably than the original dish.

Bolstered by this success, we decided to try using the tagine as a pizza topping. It seemed fitting, since various forms of flatbread are a staple of cultures on both sides of the Mediterranean. Pictured at the top of this post, and below, the resulting pie was wonderful:



We cooked the pizza on the grill, of course. Everything came together in a perfect conglomeration of flavors and textures. I just hope we can re-create it.

And we've got more Lamb "Tagineballs" safely stowed away for whatever other cross-cultural experiment we come up with next.



Lamb Meatball Banh Mi, perhaps? Maybe some tacos? On a breakfast sandwich? In a soup?

We'll see...

Roasted Yams with Moroccan-Spiced Compound Butter

Around this time a year ago, we were on a North African kick and were using ingredients characteristic of the region in all sorts of dishes, including our Thanksgiving meal. One dish that worked particularly well was roasted yams with a compound butter infused with Moroccan flavors.

Yams with butter melted over them are already pretty darned good, but spiking the butter with extra flavors really elevates them to a new level.



Compound butters are so simple to make, I don't know why we don't do it more often. You basically take room temperature butter and smush a selection of herbs and spices into it. Then chill, and you're done, ready to serve.

For this version I used freshly toasted cumin seeds, fresh garlic, turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, lemon zest, fresh cilantro and salt. The last time I added fresh ginger briefly sautéed in olive oil instead of the fresh garlic. I think I prefer it spiked with the ginger, but both are good. You can use either lemon zest or juice, but the zest is much easier to incorporate into the butter.

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A critical element - important for both flavor and that crazy yellow color - is ground turmeric.

We like to form the compound butter into a log shape by wrapping it in plastic and then chilling it several hours in the refrigerator.



Later, sliced into disks it easily adds a burst of complex flavors and aroma to whatever you adorn with it - in this case, hot, tender, roasted jewel yams.

Moroccan-Spiced Compound Butter

2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon minced garlic (or 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger plus 1 teaspoon olive oil)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon fluffy lemon zest (or 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice)
1-2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Toast the cumin seeds in a dry, hot pan until fragrant, about a minute (or if using ginger, toast the cumin seeds in hot olive oil 30 seconds, then add the ginger and saute until fragrant and softened, 1-2 minutes.) Pour into a small bowl and allow to cool. Once the seeds have cooled, mix everything thoroughly into the soft butter. Place onto a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log by encasing the butter in the plastic and twisting the ends. Refrigerate until firm. Remove plastic wrap and slice into disks for serving.

Thanksgiving

Sometimes we do a straight up traditional Thanksgiving meal, and sometimes we put a twist on things. This year we went in a Moroccan flavor direction. We rubbed the turkey with North African spices and served a couple of side dishes from a Moroccan cookbook Sherry recently got me.

The highlight of the meal for me, though, was the yams. We roasted them whole (just like I had them at Thanksgiving growing up) and served them with a Moroccan-spiced compound butter. Fantastic!

North African Pork Tenderloin with Cauliflower Couscous and Tomato Onion Salad

We recently had a request for this recipe. It was a first-time experiment, but it came out nicely. The only issue we had with it was that the chickpeas in the couscous were overcooked. We have adjusted the cooking time in the recipe below to compensate. We haven't yet gotten around to trying it again, though, so let us know how it turns out if you make it.

North African Pork Tenderloin with Cauliflower Couscous and Tomato Onion Salad

One tenderloin prepared as directed will yield 3 servings, while the couscous and salad will serve 4 to 5. It is easy to make two tenderloins, just double the rub amounts and continue as directed.

For each Pork Tenderloin:

1 (approx. 1 pound) whole Pork Tenderloin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Couscous:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
Kosher salt
3 cups small cauliflower florets (1/2 to 1-inch pieces)
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large shallot, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup couscous
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

For the Salad:

1 pint grape tomatoes
1 small white onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 400' F. Sprinkle the salt onto the garlic clove and mince together until the garlic and salt forms a paste. Mix in the 1/4-teaspoon cumin and 1/8-teaspoon ceyanne.

Trim the tenderloin removing most of the tough silverskin. Cut a couple of inches off the thin, pointy end so that you have a more uniform shape - it will cook more evenly. Save the small piece for another use. Rub the garlic mixture all over the pork and leave at room temperature about 30 minutes.

Prepare the Salad: cut each grape tomato crosswise into 2 or 3 pieces. Thinly slice and then chop the onion into 1/2-inch lengths. Mix together the tomato, onion, cilantro, vinegar and salt (about 1/4 teaspoon). Taste for seasoning and adjust with additional vinegar or salt as needed. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Prepare the Couscous: Mix together the 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon tumeric and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Put the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the spice mixture. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss gently. Place into the hot oven. After 15 minutes, add the shallot slices and chickpeas to the pan and roast an additional for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Right after placing the chickpeas in the oven, heat the chicken broth on high in a small saucepan. As soon as it reaches a boil, stir in 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and the couscous. Immediately remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and stir in the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas. Drizzle the teaspoon of vinegar over the couscous and toss. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Finish the Pork Tenderloin: Heat an oven-proof frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Sear the pork tenderloin, 2-3 minutes per side or until nicely browned. Put the pan into the 400' oven for 15-17 minutes (you can do this while the cauliflower is still cooking) . When done, remove from oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2-thick medalions.

Serve the salad, couscous and sliced pork together on warmed dinner plates.