Around the World in Foodventures (Azerbaijan, redux: KUFTA BOZBASH)

There was another Azerbaijani recipe that caught my eye, which I would have preferred to cook at the same time as the Shorgoghal and do one post with both together-- except I didn't feel like hunting down its special ingredient before. But now I have it (thanks to the kindness of Feride Buyuran who quickly responded to my inquiry via her website asking for good sources), and made the thing for dinner tonight....so here is a rare second post for a country I've already foodventured to --

Note -- Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white/un-highlighted should be kept separate by itself.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pound of Ground Beef
• 1/2 pound Ground Lamb
• 1 medium-to-large Onion, very finely minced or grated
• 1 large Egg
• 1/4 cup of medium-grain White Rice, rinsed
• 1 - 2 teaspoons of minced Fresh Mint (to your preference)
• 1 teaspoon of Dried Savory Leaves
• 1 teaspoon Crushed Dried Basil
• 1 teaspoon of Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 4 dried Cherry-Plums*
• 2 Tablespoons of Clarified Butter or Ghee
• 1 Tablespoon of Tomato Paste
• 4 cups of Beef Broth
• 3 cups of Water
• 4 medium Potatoes (I am using a mix of red and white ones)
• 1/4 teaspoon of Turmeric
• 1 cup canned Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 Roma Tomatoes, whole
• 1/2 cup of Green Peas (frozen or raw)
• Additional Fresh Mint, Salt & Pepper (for garnish)

* I purchased some "Aloo Bukhara Sour Plum - Aloocheh" from Persian Basket.  They still had their pits in them, and I was mistaken to think I would be able to remove those pits before cooking.  They were very, very difficult (if not impossible) to get out -- so I just used them with the pits left in and was mindful of that while eating.  You may want to opt for a Cherry-Plum variety that was pitted before being dried.

DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the meatballs, combine the Ground Beef, Ground Lamb, Onion, Egg, White Rice, Mint, Savory, Basil, Salt, and Pepper.  Mix very thoroughly, until it starts to become pasty.  Then divide the mixture into 4 and shape into balls.  Make a hole in each one and place one dried Cherry-Plum into the center and re-close the meat around it.  Pack the meatballs hard so they hold together while cooking.
2. To make the soup -- in a large pot, briefly cook the Tomato Paste in the Clarified Butter or Ghee.  Pour in the Beef Broth and the Water.  Bring it to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently drop in the meatballs.  Cook for 10 minutes, skimming off any froth that gathers on the surface.
4. Now add the whole Potatoes and the Turmeric, and season with additional Salt & Pepper to taste.  Continue cooking on a low-to-medium boil for another 20 minutes.
5. Add the Chickpeas, the Tomatoes, and the Green Peas -- and cook for 10 more minutes.  Check that the potatoes are cooked through by poking with a fork, and use a thermometer to make sure the meatballs are done (they should reach 160°F in the center). If things need to cook more, do so until the meatballs reach a safe temperature and the potatoes are soft to your liking.
6. To serve, put one Meatball, one Potato, and one Tomato into each bowl (my potatoes were probably bigger than they should have been, so I cut them in half before serving); then ladle over some of the broth along with Chickpeas and Green Peas.  Garnish each bowl with additional Mint, and Salt & Pepper to taste.

This was pretty yummy, and I especially enjoyed the little pop of tartness at the center of each meatball.  I'd happily make it again -- except next time I would make the meatballs smaller so that I could get that delightful taste of Cherry-Plum in every bite instead of only with the very center portion.  I see no reason why the potatoes and tomatoes couldn't be smaller to match the meatballs, too (for example, using cherry tomatoes and those bags of "new/baby" potatoes you find in the supermarkets).

I studied several web pages (see: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) -- then used a combination of them plus personal knowledge and experience to write my own recipe that you see above.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain