Kurdish Meatball & Potato Soup

I bought a bunch of ground chuck that was on sale today. Not knowing exactly what I was going to do with it (besides freeze a bunch) I thought of what would warm me up on this dreary, rainy, gray day....It's been storming all week here and it's getting really cold, really fast. I mean last week it was in the 60s and now we're in the 40s! How does that happen? I long for a more moderate climate...maybe someday! When I really need some comfort food, something that just the smell alone warms my bones, I think of all the great soups and stews my mother makes. We always had some sort of soup or stew on the stove, alongside a big pot of rice, of course. In our culture, we serve almost all soups/stews over rice which seriously is not a bad idea. Next time you make your favorite soup, ladle it over some rice and you'll see what I'm talking about!

So what to make with pounds of ground beef....hmmmmm. Well, what came to mind first was a recipe where I could make two or three different things out of it. Hmmmmmm....I got it....MEATBALLS! I remember this meatball soup my mom used to make and it is so delicious! Plus, I could make enough meatballs to have some leftover to use as an appetizer for a party this weekend. Perfect!

Avesta's Meatballs:
2 pounds ground beef (or mix 1lb ground beef and 1 pound ground lamb)

1 small chopped onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves crushed fresh garlic

2 teaspoons ground hot red pepper (optional)

salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients together and roll into balls.
I don't use egg or bread crumbs in these meatballs. I don't like any fillers or binders when I don't have to use them. I don't have a problem keeping my meatballs together. If you find you're having trouble or you want a moister meatball, add two eggs to this recipe.

Place rolled meatballs on a pan-sprayed baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes (depending on the size you made them, check inside of one meatball to see if fully cooked).

This recipe should make about 30-40 meatballs.

Kurdish Meatball & Potato Soup:

20-30 meatballs

1 can chopped or diced tomatoes (with their juice)

2 cans tomato sauce

2 cans beef broth

1 small chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 tablespoons lemon juice

pinch of sugar

1 teaspoon cumin

4 potatoes, peeled & cubed

salt & pepper to taste

1-2 cups water (depending on how thick you like your soup/stew)

4 tablespoons olive oil

Kurdish Meatball & Potato Soup

In a large saucepan, saute diced onions in the olive oil until just soft. Add the chopped tomatoes and parsley and saute for just a minute. Add the tomato sauce, beef broth, potatoes, sugar, cumin, salt & pepper and water and mix well. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes and continue to mix. Lower the temperature, add the cooked meatballs and lemon juice and let simmer until potatoes are soft. You can also add other vegetables to this soup if you'd like. I've added green beans, garbanzo beans, okra, corn...whatever your fancy!

This soup served over rice is so delicious but since it does have potatoes in it, you could eat it alone in a soup bowl with some good buttered bread!

Leftover Braised Beef Recipes

Beef and Green Bean Soup

Fried Beef n Rice

Ok so you made the Kurdish style beef ribs and now you have some leftovers. No worries. You see, my mother would always make several things out of one dish. This was economical and it saved time. She said this is how a lot of Kurdish women cook. When you refrigerate the leftover beef ribs, the majority of the fat solidifies on the top of the broth and meat. This is good because you can take a large spoon and scoop out all of that extra fat now that you're trying to use the meat and broth to make some new dishes.

The first thing I made was a sort of fried rice with the leftover rice, beef and broth. All you do is take a small frying pan and heat up 1 tablespoon of the fat from the beef and saute two of the boneless beef ribs in the fat. While you're sauteing the beef, the beef should start to fall apart into small pieces. Add two cups of the leftover rice and mix with the meat and fat. Then slowly add one cup of the broth (this broth can include the onions and spices in it). Mix the rice, beef and broth and once the ingredients are hot, it's done. You can add frozen or canned corn, peas and carrots if you'd like. I served mine with a healthy mixed greens Greek salad. It wasn't like eating leftovers at all! I sprinkled a little ground hot red pepper on top for a little kick!

The other recipe I made with the leftover braised beef was a very typical Kurdish soup. I used the rest of the beef and broth that was leftover and combined it with 4 cups of water, 1/2 pound of fresh green beans (cut up into small pieces) or you can use frozen cut green beans if you don't have fresh, and one can of tomato sauce and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. I mixed all the ingredients in a saucepan and brought it to a boil. Let it boil for about 10-15 minutes then lower the heat to a simmer and allow the soup to thicken and the green beans to cook. This should take about 45 minutes to an hour. Continue to stir every once in awhile and taste to make sure your soup has enough salt and pepper or not too much (you can always add more water if it's too salty. See the onions and beef from your dinner last night? That's why making this soup is so easy. It's getting tons of flavor from the dish you made the night before!

This soup can be eaten by itself (I ate mine with some pita bread) or it can be served over rice or couscous. And if you don't feel like eating beef again, make the soup and freeze it for later use!This soup is very typical in the Kurdish culture.