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Keftas and Seven-Vegetable Couscous

by | Jul 6, 2016 | Beef, Moroccan, Vegetables

I love Moroccan flavors and I often crave these Keftas. They always remind me of amazing evenings with my family overseas. The veggie couscous is a nice light dish for summer. I was recently able to pickup a few tubes of my favorite prepared Harissa and I was dying to make something that calls for it.

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Keftas and Seven-Vegetable Couscous
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Moroccan
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients
Keftas
  • 1 lb ground beef or lamb
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Ras el Hanout
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black ground pepper
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Juice of ½ lemon
Seven-Vegetable Couscous
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), minced
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2¼ cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
  • 1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1 large yellow squash, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 1 large zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 1 can garbanzo beans
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Pinch of saffron
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1½ cups (about 10 ounces) couscous
  • Lemon wedges
  • Harissa
Instructions
Keftas
  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  2. Mix all the kefta ingredients together in a large bowl and let rest for about 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend.
  3. Coat large baking dish with olive oil.
  4. Roll the mixture into balls. Roast until firm, for about 15 minutes. Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tray.
Seven-Vegetable Couscous
  1. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over low heat. Add leeks and garlic. Cover and cook until leeks are very tender but not brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add broth and next 8 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Increase heat and bring mixture to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomatoes and cilantro. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 10 minutes.
  2. Prepare couscous according to package directions.
  3. Fluff couscous with fork. Transfer couscous, vegetables, broth, and keftas to large platter. Garnish with lemon wedges and Harissa.