Mini Moroccan Meatballs and Olives
My absolute favorite from the Moroccan kitchen—meatballs and olives.
In the early 90’s, many of our friends were married in quick succession. We had all become a tight social circle through our involvement in the Sephardic Educational Center, which hosted weekly Classes for the Masses at the Kahal Joseph Congregation in Westwood. (Kahal is the Iraqi synagogue served by Rabbi Natan Halevy, Sharon’s younger brother.) At that time, the synagogue was led by Rabbi Moshe Benzaquen, our beloved longtime friend. Rabbi and his wonderful wife Yaffa would effortlessly host 30 guests for glorious Shabbat lunches, creating a close, vibrant community of young marrieds.
For me, living in Westwood had the considerable advantage of being in walking distance of my parents. Neil and I rented an apartment across the street from Kahal and whenever we weren’t with my family for meals, we had friends to entertain.
Less than a year after Neil and I married, our very fun and funny friend Molly married Saeed, the very talented, sweet-voiced Chazan of Kahal. They lived a few blocks away from us. She gave birth to Eliana in November, and I gave birth to Sammy in December.
On a cold and dark winter night in January, Neil and I sat in pajamas at our Shabbat table. We were the cliché, classic sleep deprived parents of a newborn. All of a sudden, we heard a knock on the door. We were so surprised, wondering who it could be. It was Saeed, Molly and baby Eliana bearing cookies and a bottle of wine.
We had spoken on Thursday, and I had invited her for the following Shabbat. She had misunderstood. We begged them to come in, but I think both Molly and I were dying of embarrassment. From then on, every time I invited her, she made sure to confirm the exact date.
Two years later, she gave birth to Adina and I gave birth to Max. Our boys and girls made cute pairs and in nursery school at Hillel, we always asked that they be Shabbat Aba and Ema together. A few years later, I got my girl, Rebekah and she got her boy, Eitan. All our kids grew up very close.
My son Max was a very finicky eater and whenever Molly would host us, she would always make meatballs with tomato sauce. Molly’s meatballs were a big hit with all the kids and a dish that Max was sure to eat.
As a child of Moroccan parents, my palate was a bit more sophisticated than that of my children, who would only eat my meatballs when I made them in the American style, with spaghetti in a bland marinara sauce.
Moroccans love their meatballs (les boulettes)! They come in all flavors and shapes and sizes. I grew up eating ground liver formed into little torpedoes, ground lamb in flat patties, ground veal meatballs, as well as ground beef meatballs with peas and meatballs and potatoes simmered in a saffron broth.
My absolute favorite from the Moroccan kitchen—meatballs and olives. I love that this particular dish is made with teeny, tiny meatballs in a very rich, thick tomato sauce with the added umami of briny olives.
Traditionally, this dish is made with a North African spice blend called Ras El Hanut. The name literally means head of the shop in Arabic. It denotes that the exact quantity of each spice in the blend is at the discretion of the store owner. Generally, it includes a mixture of a dozen spices, including cardamom, cumin, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon. My family is not especially fond of too many spices in one dish. The only spices my mother truly used were saffron, paprika, cumin and a spice called mace. Mace, the sister spice of nutmeg, is derived from the coating of the nutmeg tree seed and is particularly prized in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Less sweet than nutmeg, mace imparts warmth and a piney, peppery undertone with a fresh citrus zest.
On my recent trip to Jerusalem, I found mace at the many spice stalls at the Mahane Yehuda Shuk. This brought back happy memories of my mother and her amazing mini meatballs with olives.
I found mace, the sister spice of nutmeg, at the many spice stalls at the Mahane Yehuda Shuk. This brought back happy memories of my mother and her amazing mini meatballs with olives.
It’s been on my mind since my return home, so I made it for Friday night dinner. I thought that no one, besides my father and I, would enjoy it. To my pleasant surprise, everyone was excited to try this new dish on the buffet. They really enjoyed the moist flavorful little bites of ground beef and tender stewed olives.
Mace is available at specialty spice stores, but if you’re hesitant to try a new spice, this recipe will work with cumin or coriander spice. Just make sure to let that sauce simmer on a gentle heat to bring out all the flavors.
For years after, whenever Molly would see Max, she would joke “Max, come over and I’ll make you some meatballs!”
Nowadays, Max lives in Miami but next time he comes home, I’ll invite Molly and Saeed over and make these delicious meatballs.
—Rachel
Mini Moroccan Meatballs with Olives
Meatball Mixture:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
2 Tbsp potato starch
1 large egg
2 tsp avocado or vegetable oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp mace or cumin
½ tsp pepper
1 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
In a large bowl, add ground beef, onion, garlic, potato starch, egg, oil, spices and Italian parsley and mix until all the ingredients are well blended.
Use a scooper or tablespoon to create a uniform measure and form the meat mixture into small balls. Line the balls up on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
Refrigerate until ready to place in the sauce.
Tomato Sauce:
1 1/2 cups pitted green olives
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 fresh or canned roasted red peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
Place olives in a small pot, then cover with cold water. Over medium high heat, bring olives to a boil. Reduce flame and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the water and rinse the olives in cold water, then drain again.
In a large skillet, warm oil over medium heat. Add roasted peppers and sauté for 3 minutes.
Add the garlic, paprika and crushed tomatoes. Sauté for 2 minutes, then add the olives.
Add the diced tomatoes, salt, pepper and cilantro, then cover and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Gently add the meatballs, then lower heat, cover the pot and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot with fluffy couscous or white rice.
Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them
on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food.