Kofta bel Sabanekh wal Hummus - Meatballs with spinach and chickpeas

My brother and sister-in-law gave us a Tagine (or tajine) this year for Christmas and I've been researching and finding recipes for it ever since.  For those of you who've never heard of a Tagine, don't worry!
It's a Moroccan dish, which is named after the special pot in which it is cooked. The traditional tajine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay, which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts: a base unit that is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).  Here is mine: 

Before you can use your tagine for cooking, you first have to season it, a long process involving soaking both pieces in water overnight, coating the insides in olive oil and slow baking it at 300 degrees for several hours.  Most tagines also require a diffuser if you plan to cook on the stove.  My tagine was hand-crafted in Tunisia and can only be used in the oven up to 350 degrees and over low to medium heat on the stove. The key to cooking with a tagine is low heat and plenty of time.  

My first adventure in cooking with a tagine involved a Chicken and Carrot recipe that I found here.  The recipe I'm sharing with you today I found in The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden.

Kofta bel Sabanekh wal Hummus - Meatballs with spinach and chickpeas

1 1/2 pounds ground lean beef, lamb, or veal - I used 93/7 lean ground beef
1 onion, grated or finely chopped
salt and pepper
vegetable oil
1 pound fresh spinach, or frozen, chopped spinach
1 tablespoon butter
A 14-oz can chickpeas or two, drained
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground coriander


Combine the ground beef and chopped onions in a bowl and combine, I used my new kitchenaid mixer, but a wooden spoon will work just as well. 

Add salt and pepper to season and mix until a paste has been formed.







 Roll mixture into walnut sized balls and fry in oil until brown on all sides.

I didn't chop my onions quite small enough and lost quite a few to frying!  

Once all sides have been browned, remove and set on paper towels to drain. 

In tagine, place butter and the washed spinach, do not add any extra water.  Heat, covered, on low until spinach softens.  If you are not using a tagine, this will only take a minute or two, it took my tagine at least 10 minutes - see what I mean about slow cooking?!? 

 

Once the spinach has softened, cut if needed. Then add the drained chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Carefully add the meatballs.  

Cook covered until the meatballs are done to your liking.  In a skillet you might need to cook them for another 5 minutes but my tagine needed 30 minutes and plenty of stirring.  Just before serving, fry the garlic in 2 tbsp oil and the ground coriander.  This is called takleya and should smell sweet.  Add to the dish when it has finished cooking and serve with rice.