Meat Balls Of Tabriz

Meat Balls Of Tabriz

(Kufte Tabrizi)

Tabriz is the capital of Azerbaijan province in northern Persia.

½ pound rice

¼ pound yellow split peas

1 pound ground lamb, veal, or beef

2 onions, grated

¼ teaspoon each turmeric, pepper , and curry or clove

½ teaspoon salt

3 hard-cooked eggs or 6to 9 dried prunes or plums

12 almonds, blanched and chopped

1 large onion, chopped and sautéed in butter until lightly browned.

Cook the rice according to directions for chelou and rinse.

Koofte-Tabrizi-1

Cook peas until very tender, then mash. Grind the meat twice through finest blade of a meat grinder. Combine the rice ,peas, meat, grated onion, spices, and salt and knead the mixture into a  dough. Wet a clean cloth and spread it in a small round bowl, approximately 6 inches in diameter, which will serve as a mold.

Fill the bowl half full of dough. In the center place either a hard- cooked egg or 3 prunes or plums, and sprinkle with a little chopped almonds and 1 teaspoon of the sautéed onion. Cover the ingredients with more of the meat dough and shape the whole into a medium-sized ball. Make two more balls in the same manner, using remaining ingredients.

Bring to a boil 3quarters of water, filling to the top a sauce- pan large enough to hold the three meat balls. Add remaining sautéed onion and carefully lower the meat balls into the boiling water. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours, or until well done. Remove meat balls to a serving dish and either pour the broth over them or serve it separately.

If desired, 2 cups lemon or pomegranate juice may be substituted for part of the water used to cook the balls .  Also cooked chicken meat ,mixed with fruit and nuts ,may be used in the center of the meat balls in place of eggs.