Spiced Beef Meatballs With Fragrant Tomato Sauce And Couscous

Zest the lemon[s] (try to grate lightly with a micro-plane or sharp box grater and avoid grating the white pith, as this is very bitter) and cut into wedges

Peel and grate the garlic

Peel and finely chop the brown onion[s]

Strip the mint leaves from their stems and chop them roughly, discard the stems

Boil half a kettle

Combine the beef mince and lemon zest in a bowl with half the grated garlic (you'll use the rest later!), the ground coriander, half the ground cumin, half the chopped mint (save the rest for later!) and a generous pinch of salt and pepper

Give everything a good mix up until thoroughly combined (clean hands are the best way!) and shape into 6 [12] meatballs

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick with a matching lid) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add the meatballs and cook for 2 min on each side or until browned

Once the meatballs have browned, transfer them to a plate and set aside, (these will finish cooking in the sauce later)

Return the pan to a medium heat with a small drizzle of vegetable oil and once hot, add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 5-6 min or until softened

Meanwhile, dissolve half the chicken stock mix (you'll use the rest later!) with the tomato paste in 100ml [200ml] boiled water – this is your tomato stock

Once the onion has softened, add the remaining grated garlic to the pan and cook for 1 min or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add the remaining ground cumin and most of the ras el hanout and cook for a further 1 min

Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato stock to the pan and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, return the browned meatballs to the pan and cook, covered for 12-15 min or until cooked through (no pink meat!) – these are your spiced beef meatballs with fragrant tomato sauce

While the meatballs are cooking, add the couscous and remaining chicken stock mix to a heatproof bowl with 200ml [400ml] boiled water, cover and set aside until all of the stock has been absorbed

Once done, add the juice of 2 [4] lemon wedges and fluff with a fork

Heat a small dry pan over a medium heat

Once hot, add the flaked almonds and cook for 2-3 min or until toasted and lightly golden

Tip: Watch them like a hawk to make sure they don't burn!

Once toasted, add the remaining ras el hanout with a pinch of salt, then transfer to a small bowl with the remaining chopped mint – these are your spiced mint almonds