I don’t have a lot of cookbooks, probably about 4 total. The one I use the most is The Joy of Cooking, which I really like but I often find the recipes to be hit or miss. I use Joy mostly for reference, to learn about the various cuts of meats, setting a table, cutting open a fish, etc. My mom sent me Claudia Roden’s The New Book of Middle Eastern Food for my birthday and I’m delighted to finally have a cookbook that will become a regular in my kitchen. I’ve already spent hours flipping through its pages and I’ve planned all our meals for the week using nothing but recipes from the book. First up, meatballs with pine nuts and tomato sauce, also known as Daoud Basha (David Pasha). The dish gets its name from the Ottoman pasha who administered Mt. Lebanon in the 18th century, though I can’t find much more information about that. Some sources (who didn’t cite any references) said that Daoud Basha was something of a tyrant. In any case though, the meatballs named after him are absolutely delicious. The sweetness from the raisins is a great touch. Do make sure to get most out of your pine nuts by toasting them, it really does make all the difference.
Daoud Basha
(adapted from Claudia Roden’s The New Book of Middle Eastern food)
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a slice of bread (optional)
milk (if using bread)
1 1/2 pounds ground meat (lamb or beef, preferably lamb)
1 large onion, grated or finely chopped
salt & pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon all spice
2/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup raisins
2 pounds tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cloves garlic
Preheat oven to 400F.
Toast the pine nuts by heating a small pan over a medium flame. Add pine nuts and stir frequently for 3-5 minutes, or until fragrant and slightly golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
Add a slice of bread to a large bowl. The amount of milk you will need depends on the size of the slice of bread. Cover the bread with just enough milk and let the bread soak up the liquid for a few minutes. Now add the ground meat, onion, salt, pepper, coriander, pine nuts, and raisins. Roll the balls into the size of walnuts and place them onto a foil-lined baking sheet coated with oil.
Brush the meatballs with oil and bake them for 15-20 minutes. Cut up tomatoes and blend them in a food processor or blender. Add a little salt and pepper, sugar, garlic, and pour over the meatballs. Bake for 35 minutes, turning meatballs over once. Serve hot.
Serves 4-6
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