Moroccan Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

I expected this to be so much better, but for some reason these flavors just don't work. I love middle eastern and Indian fare, but oddly this just didn't live up to that cuisine. Very disappointing as I had such high hopes for it. Can;t even begin to think what needs tweaking to make it enjoyable, so I won;'t make it again. 

This was so good. The flavors are similar to Indian food which I love. I added a little more ground red pepper to kick up the heat a bit but otherwise made exactly as written. I would rate this 10 stars if I could. If you like Indian food, then you will love this.

The dish was good, but it didn't really work for me. I can see how some people may enjoy this dish... but the flavors just didn't go well for me. It was too sweet for my liking (making because I used cherry tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes). I feel that the next time I make this, I will omit the dried currants or anything to give it a sweeter taste... I guess I was hoping this would be more savory than sweet. But, it's still a good dish nonetheless. I also didn't use a slow cooker, but I simmered the dish on low-medium heat for about an hour.

I have to say this is a favorite in our house. Love the favors and the sauce is great with middle eastern flatbread as well. I agree about the fennel-- it's an acquired taste! But the currants really make it, in my opinion. When I tone down the red pepper, the kids love it too.

This recipe has now become a staple in our house (with a few modifications). We use Quinoa instead of Cous Cous because we prefer the nutty flavor of Quinoa. I also omit the fennel because I find it to overpower the other wonderful flavors in the sauce. I use raisins instead of currants because it was what I had on hand. Finally, I recommend caramelizing the onions before mixing them into the meat to mellow out the onion flavor.

I was excited to try this dish as I love trying dishes from different cultures. However the result was disappointing. I will admit I used mixed ground game meat for the meatballs, but everything else was the same as the recipe. The meatballs had kind of a bitter taste which was unpleasant. The tomato sauce just didn't seem to 'work' either, taste wise - the combination of flavors was very odd. We're struggling to get through the leftovers - so sadly I will probably end up throwing the remains out. Definitely not going to make again.