Moroccan Meatballs with Couscous

• If baking meatballs, preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line large baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Disregard if frying meatballs.

To Make the Meatballs

• Add 1 large egg and 2 tablespoons tomato paste to medium mixing bowl. Mix ingredients together until fully combined into smooth mixture.
• Add ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1 pinch ground cinnamon to bowl. Stir until ingredients are fully incorporated.
• Add 1 pound lean ground beef ½ cup breadcrumbs, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to bowl. Mix ingredients together with hands or spatula until just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.
• Use cookie scoop to portion meatball mixture into individual portions, rolling each scoop between palms of hands quickly to smooth. Place meatball on prepared baking sheet or on large plate. Repeat until entire meatball mixture has been formed into approximately 32 individual meatballs, each approximately 1-inch in diameter.

To Bake the Meatballs

• Place prepared baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake meatballs 15 to 20 minutes or until meatballs are just lightly browned.
• Once lightly browned, remove baking sheet from oven and set aside.

To Fry the Meatballs

• Place large skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil to skillet and heat pan until oil is hot and shimmery.
• When oil is hot, add meatballs to skillet, working in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding pan. Fry meatballs, flipping meatballs occasionally, until golden brown on all sides.
• Transfer fried meatballs to large bowl and set aside. Repeat until all meatballs have been fried, adding oil to pan as needed.

To Make the Sauce

• Place large saucepan on stovetop over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to saucepan and continue heating pan until oil is hot and shimmery.
• When oil is hot, add ½ cup diced white onion and 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic to saucepan. Stir to incorporate. Sauté ingredients approximately 3 minutes or until softened but not browned.
• Once onion and garlic are softened, add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest and ½ cup pitted kalamata olives to saucepan. Stir to incorporate. Sauté ingredients 1 minute.
• Add ½ cup dry white wine to saucepan. Stir to incorporate, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any onions or garlic that may have stuck to pan. Reduce heat under pan to low and simmer mixture 1 to 2 minutes or until wine has reduced slightly.
• When wine has reduced, add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ¼ cup chicken stock, 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes, 2 packed teaspoons light brown sugar, 1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 pinch ground cinnamon. Stir to incorporate.
• Simmer mixture over low heat 7 minutes, then taste sauce and add salt and freshly cracked black pepper as desired. Stir to incorporate added ingredients.
• When satisfied with flavor of sauce, add cooked meatballs to saucepan. Gently coat meatballs in sauce then let mixture simmer 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.

To Make the Couscous

• While meatballs simmer, place small saucepan on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups chicken stock, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to saucepan and stir to incorporate. Bring mixture to boil.
• When mixture begins to boil, add ⅓ cup finely chopped dried dates and 1 cup instant couscous. Cover saucepan with lid and remove saucepan from heat. Let couscous boil in covered saucepan 5 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, uncover saucepan and fluff couscous with tines of fork. Taste couscous and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

To Serve

• Place preferred amounts of couscous in serving bowls. Top couscous with meatballs and plenty of sauce.
• Garnish dish with chopped fresh parsley leaves if desired and serve immediately.