Arabian Meatballs
Ingredients
1/2 cup quick-cooking rice cereal (1/2 minute to cook)
1 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons long-grain white rice
3/4 pound ground lean (7% fat or less) beef
About 1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Preparation
1. Mix rice cereal with 1/3 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. Stir in tomato paste, broth, and rice. 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.
3. As rice cooks, mix beef with 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
4. Mix half the beef mixture with one-fourth of the rice cereal
mixture, remaining onion and garlic, 1 tablespoon mint, and parsley.
5. In a food processor, whirl remaining beef mixture and
remaining rice cereal mixture until it is a sticky paste.
6. Shape each of the meat mixtures into 4 oval pieces. In your
palm, flatten 1 piece of the beef paste until its 1/4 inch thick. Lay
a coarse-beef oval over the thin piece and fold paste around it,
shaping into a 3-inch-long football.
7. Repeat to form each meatball, and as shaped, drop into simmering broth.
8. Simmer over low heat, covered, turning meatballs once, until
no longer pink in center (cut to test), about 10 minutes.
9. Add lemon juice and remaining mint. Ladle meatball soup into bowls.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup quick-cooking rice cereal (1/2 minute to cook)
1 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons long-grain white rice
3/4 pound ground lean (7% fat or less) beef
About 1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Preparation
1. Mix rice cereal with 1/3 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. Stir in tomato paste, broth, and rice. 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.
3. As rice cooks, mix beef with 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
4. Mix half the beef mixture with one-fourth of the rice cereal
mixture, remaining onion and garlic, 1 tablespoon mint, and parsley.
5. In a food processor, whirl remaining beef mixture and
remaining rice cereal mixture until it is a sticky paste.
6. Shape each of the meat mixtures into 4 oval pieces. In your
palm, flatten 1 piece of the beef paste until its 1/4 inch thick. Lay
a coarse-beef oval over the thin piece and fold paste around it,
shaping into a 3-inch-long football.
7. Repeat to form each meatball, and as shaped, drop into simmering broth.
8. Simmer over low heat, covered, turning meatballs once, until
no longer pink in center (cut to test), about 10 minutes.
9. Add lemon juice and remaining mint. Ladle meatball soup into bowls.
Yield: 4 servings
