Many Moroccans use the word "spaghetti" to refer to almost any variety of pasta topped with tomato sauce. Just as often, they might use the French word for pasta, les pâtes.
Fresh ripe tomatoes, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and paprika and cumin are usually key to Moroccan pasta sauce, with common variations including the addition of cinnamon, hot peppers, or even chick peas. The pasta dish itself is often topped with grated Edam cheese.
The basic Moroccan pasta sauce recipe below will yield 4 to 5 cups of sauce, enough for up to 1 kg (about 2 lbs.) of spaghetti or pasta. Add the optional marble-sized kefta meatballs if desired.
Serves 6 to 8.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 kg (about 3 lbs.) of ripe tomatoes
- 140 g (6 oz.) tomato paste
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 to 5 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or black pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- ------------ For the Kefta Meatballs ------------
- 1/2 kg (1 lb.) ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
Preparation:
To Make the Meatballs
Blend the ground beef, spices, garlic and parsley. Knead the mixture well, and shape it into tiny meatballs the size of marbles. Set aside.
To Make the Sauce
Peel, seed and chop the tomatoes. (OR you can quarter the tomatoes and stew them, covered, in about 1/4 cup of water for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the skin pulls off. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill, discarding the skin and seeds.)
In a large, deep skillet or wide pot, saute the garlic just for a minute in the vegetable oil. Add the tomatoes, spices and about half of the parsley (reserve the rest of the parsley to add at the end of cooking).
Mix the tomato paste with an equal amount of water, and add it to the pot. Stir to blend, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick, about 30 to 40 minutes. If the tomatoes were chopped instead of stewed, mash them with the back of the spoon as they cook.
Taste and adjust the seasoning, and add the remaining parsley and meatballs. Simmer for a few minutes longer, or just until the meatballs are cooked through.
