Koofteh Tabrizi

Description

Persian herbed meatball soup

Ingredients

Herbed ball

• 1 lb ground beef or veal
• 1½ cups rice, raw, well rinsed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ground
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons tarragon, dried
• 2 bunches Italian parsley, chopped fine in a processor
• 1 cup leeks, fine chopped
• ½ cup dill, fresh
• ½ cup onions, chopped fine

Broth

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ground
• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups water
• 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)

Directions

1. Mix all the meatball ingredients together and roll into balls, 2½ inches in diameter, firmly packed.
2. Refrigerate them for 1 hour.
3. To make the broth, heat the oil in a pan or soup kettle, add the onions and turmeric, and stir-fry over moderate heat until light brown, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and salt and stir-fry for 2 minutes more.
5. Add the water and bring to a boil.
6. Moisten your hands with cold water.
7. Take each herbed ball and roll it firmly; add the balls to the broth very carefully, one at a time, so that they do not not fall apart.
8. The water should just cover the balls.
9. Cover the pan and cook over moderately low heat, without stirring, for 45 minutes.
10. Add the green peas and cook for 10 minutes more.
11. The broth will reduce somewhat, the balls swell considerably due to the expansion of the rice.
12. Serve warm—with the meatballs in the broth.