meatballs ,peas,fennel

TheBeinoni

Thu, Jul 24 2008, 11:27 pm

yum! capital chick please post!!! I LOVE anise flavored things. I make myself an anise challah! (DH doesnt like)

LG - why thank you Smile

You can learn a lot in 7 months of marriage! Luckily I didn't work for most of the beginning so I had a lot of time on my hands, plus I have always LOVED cooking and food. I feel like food and cooking is the basis of our traditions!

Capitalchick

Thu, Jul 24 2008, 11:37 pm

Ok, so here's how to make the fennel flavoured meatballs. In typical sephardic fashion, I have no exact quantities. Everything is made "a vue de l'oeuil", as my Mammie says!

1 pack of minced beef (around a pound)
3 tsp ground fennel seeds + 1 additional tblsp
olive oil
1 egg
turmeric
harissa

Place meat, egg and ground fennel seeds into a bowl and squish it all together.
Then in a medium pot, put about 2 inches of water, about 1 tblsp of turmeric, 1 tblsp ground fennel seeds, 1 tblsp of olive oil and about 2 tblsp of harissa.

Then rolls the meatballs SMALL. They should be smaller than a bite. Around the size of the end of your thumb, or maybe a globe grape.

Once the water is simmering, add the meatballs into the pot and leave the whole thing to simmer for about 45 minutes. The water should reduce and thicken into a yellowish sauce.

Once the meatballs are ready, remove them (but leave them in their sauce), cool the whole thing and serve cool or at room temperature. They're not meant to be served warm, but some like it that way.

Capitalchick

Fri, Jul 25 2008, 6:56 am

hotmama wrote:

Wow - that sounds amazing. Can you please post a recipe for harissa? Do you use homemade or store bought?

I actually use store-bought harissa. Harissa is one of those things that I don't think tastes better when you make it yourself. I use a particular brand, which I think is best, but I can't remember which it is. I guess whichever you can find is good!

TheBeinoni

Sun, Jul 27 2008, 9:44 pm

Bizeh b'Kibeh/Lehme

15 Kibeh Hamda OR regular meatballs (recipes below)
1.5 TBS veg oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped or minced (your preference)
1 16-ounce bag frozen peas
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Saute the kibeh or meatballs in the beg oil over medium heat until brown. Add garlic, cook 1 min. Add peas, allspice, cinnamon, salt, and 1.5 cups water. Cover and cook over med-low heat for about an hour until a short layer of liquid is left (about 1/4 cup).

***The following recipes are things that are made and then put into the freezer - they are great things to have on reserve to throw together a quick meal.

Kibeh Hamda

OUTER SHELL:
1 lb very lean ground beef
1 lb ground white rice (must buy in Middle Eastern shop, do NOT try to substitute with something else. Trust me, I know from experience)
1 tsp salt

FILLING:
1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 cup celery leaves chopped
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup veg oil, and 1 teaspoon
1 tsp lemon juice

1. To make the outer shell grind lean meat in foodprocessor till smooth, add ground rice and salt.
2. For the filling, combine beef, celery leaves, allspice, salt, 1 tsp of veg oil. Mix well by hand.
3. Roll the outer shell mix into 1-inch balls.
4. In a small dish combine 1/4 cup of oil and lemon juice - you use this to dip your finger for making the kibehs.
5. Dip finger into oil/lemon mix and hollow each ball with your finger. The thinner you can get it the better. Use your finger to rotate and press the ball against the palm of your hand. (Hard to describe/imagine if you are not familiar with this item).
6. Fill each hollowed out ball with about 1 tsp of filling. Close by pinching the shell firmly over filling. You can smooth the outside with a little water if any cracks.

Makes about 30.

BASIC MEATBALLS

Combine ground meat, allspice to taste, cinnamon to taste, salt to taste, chopped onion, parsley or celery leaves chopped with about 1-2 tsp of veg oil per 1lb of meat. Mix well with hands. Cook, freeze.