The flavours of North Africa and, more specifically, Morocco are perennial favourites. There’s something about the juxtaposition of savoury and sweet, so endemic in that cuisine, that’s simply fascinating. It’s certainly a contrast that you’ll find, and hopefully enjoy, in this simple recipe for chicken and butternut squash tagine.
To my mind there are two characteristics most dishes of Moroccan descent ought to possess; vibrancy and a slight sweetness. You will, of course, be glad to hear that these Moroccan meatballs enjoy both qualities and are exceedingly frugal. Then again, as this blog should have taught you, rustic, hearty food often holds the latter trait. Remember, even good quality, well-sourced minced beef can be had at a reasonable price.
Dukkah (or duqqa) is an Egyptian dish, into which one might dip bread, which generally contains a mixture of nuts, spices and occasionally herbs. For instance, my recipe contains hazelnuts, which tends to be the norm for this side-dish. However, other potential nuts that will quite happily take their place in dukkah include, but are not limited to, pistachios and cashews. Indeed, almost any nut will work well here.
Since dukkah is supremely flavourful, necessitates very little preparation and takes a surprisingly long time to disappear, even with a number of people clawing at it at once, it is perfectly suited to gatherings and dinner parties. Of course, these characteristics also make it a very effective frugal dish, a very rare trait where nuts are concerned. Still, I guess that’s the current point of my existence – to prove that one can eat well on a budget!
Before posting this recipe I’m morally obliged to confess that it has, in the past, appeared within this humble blog. However, (for all such beginnings are followed by an excuse) the post this one is replacing was far from my finest work and thus failed to do the recipe justice. As you may know, I do occasionally go-over and improve my past work, though in this instance the recipe remains little changed – this was a case of wanting to make my inanimate, though gloriously delicious falafel proud. After all, falafel must be one of the most loved foods in all the world.
Being able to identify and prepare the cheaper cuts of meat is one of the many paths to becoming truly frugal. As my tips section explains, meat is the main culprit behind the lack of frugality these days. Indeed, if you’re going to be excessively carnivorous, you may as well do it economically. Not only this, but the cheaper cuts are often the most flavoursome; lamb bread and pork hand are evidence of this. The reason for their relative lack of expense is the fact that they can often take a while to prepare or cook. Lamb breast is also considered to be too fatty by most people. However, one must remember that the cooking process has the added effect of melting most of the fat present in meat; this makes its use entirely optional.