Arabian Meatballs in Broth

Description
This recipe yields 4 servings.

Ingredients

 * ½ cup quick-cooking rice cereal (½ minute to cook)
 * 1 cup minced onion
 * 2 tbsp minced garlic
 * 1½ tbsp tomato paste
 * 6 cup beef broth
 * 2 tbsp long-grain white rice
 * ¾ lb ground lean (7% fat or less) beef
 * ½ tsp salt - (about)
 * ¼ tsp freshly-ground pepper - (about)
 * ¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
 * 2 tbsp chopped parsley
 * 2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

 * 1) Mix rice cereal with ⅓ cup cold water; let stand at least 5 minutes.
 * 2) Meanwhile, in a 5- to 6-quart nonstick pan, stir half the onion and 1 teaspoon garlic over medium-high heat until limp, about 4 minutes.
 * 3) Stir in tomato paste, broth, and rice.
 * 4) Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender to bite, 12 to 15 minutes.
 * 5) As rice cooks, mix beef with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
 * 6) Mix half the beef mixture with one-fourth of the rice cereal mixture, remaining onion and garlic, 1 tablespoon mint, and parsley.
 * 7) In a food processor, whirl remaining beef mixture and remaining rice cereal mixture until it is a sticky paste.
 * 8) Shape each of the meat mixtures into 4 oval pieces.
 * 9) In your palm, flatten 1 piece of the beef paste until it's ¼-inch thick.
 * 10) Lay a coarse-beef oval over the thin piece and fold paste around it, shaping into a 3-inch-long football.
 * 11) Repeat to form each meatball, and as shaped, drop into simmering broth.
 * 12) Simmer over low heat, covered, turning meatballs once, until no longer pink in center (cut to test), about 10 minutes.
 * 13) Add lemon juice, remaining mint, and salt and pepper to taste.
 * 14) Ladle meatball soup into bowls.