Meatballs &olives

Some people cook because they have to, some cook because they love to but most people are somewhere in between. What happens to us all is "the cooking rut", faced with the daily task of cooking dinner, most of us choose the quick and safe standbys that we know the family will like or at least not hate. That's no way to live, at least not 7 days a week! What if at least one of those days, you asked yourself which continent you'd like to eat from tonight, which smells and spices would you enjoy wafting through your kitchen and to your family's noses?  Well tonight, we're going Middle East, more specifically Morocco, one sniff and your family will be running to the table. Now, because you don't want to scare them off with visions of brain and tripe, you'll start them off with something safe that you can all appreciate. Tonight's menu is the following:

Quartered endives with light mustard dressing
Lemon scented saffron rice with parsley
Mini meatballs with pitted olives in tomato and parsley sauce

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If you happen to be Kosher or Halal, this recipe works for you perfectly. Now don't be daunted by the meal, it's quite easy, here's a list of the things you'll need. (This recipe feeds 4 to 6)

3 endives
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 bunch parsley
4 cloves garlic
1 lemon
2 cans pitted cooking olives, or 1 large pint Sicilian olives (which you will have to pit yourself)
1 can tomato paste
1 1/2 cup parboiled rice
1 1/2 to 2 pounds medium ground beef
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
Dijon mustard
mayonnaise
oil
dried oregano
dried thyme
a few strands of saffron (or if you cannot find any less than 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric)
nutmeg
garlic powder
onion powder
salt
pepper

OK, let's start:
in a bowl, mix you meat with breadcrumbs, 2 tbs water, 2 tbs oil, salt, pepper, a dash of nutmeg, a dash of turmeric, garlic and onion powder, mix it all up thoroughly with your hands or wooden spoon and keep in fridge. In a small pot, put in your 2 cans of olives which you have drained and cover them with cold water, then bring to boil and drain again.
in a pot put 1 to 2 tbs oil, 3 to 4 cloves crushed garlic and the 2 tomatoes with you have chopped up into small chunks.With you wooden spoon mash up the two, the add your olives and chopped parsley (half the bunch). Now add 1 tbs of tomato paste and water to cover just below the olives and bring to boil. Retrieve you meat and start rolling up small meatballs, about the size of gumball, maybe 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Drop your meatballs in the pot as you roll them, once done lower the heat to med-low and cover. Simmer for half hour, the uncover and reduce till sauce thickens and meatballs darken.
In another pot make your rice, any standard white rice recipe will do. Once done, in another pan, saute 1 clove crushed garlic in oil, then add in your cooked rice, saffron fronds (or turmeric), the juice of 1 lemon and 1/4 cup chicken stock. Simmer till golden yellow and fragrant, then add in the rest of your fresh chopped parsley. Lastly to serve on your quartered endives use this vinaigrette: take 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp mayo, salt, pepper, dried oregano, thyme, garlic and onion powder and 1/4 white vinegar, 1/3 oil and mix.

Try it and let me know what you think!
Enjoy!

A Vegan Taste of the Middle East (Vegan Cookbooks)