February 2010

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It is one of my favourite dishes for the sweetness of fresh peas and carrots mixed with the juices from the meat and flavoured with orange peel, gives this wintery dish a distinguished taste. If you can’t find fresh peas, substitute with frozen ones. The other good thing is that this dish works well for vegetarians and vegans, simply, omit the meat and for more flavour add garlic. This dish is usually served with plain rice, another tip is that it shouldn’t come out too ‘saucy’, the amount of water I recommend is fine, however, if using tinned tomatoes which tend to be more watery, reduce the amount.

 

If you are interested to know more about peas and carrots, here are 2 suggested websites:

 

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=55

 

http://www.great-workout.com/nutrition/vegetables/carrot-nutrition-facts.cfm

 

Serves 4

 

Ingredients.

 

  • 1tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 300g / 11oz lean lamb meat cut into small cubes
  • 300g / 11oz carrots peeled and diced into small cubes
  • 4 cloves of garlic peeled and smashed (optional)
  • Peel of 1 small orange
  • 150ml / 5fl oz water (or vegetable stock if omitting meat)
  • 450g / 1lb fresh ripe tomatoes skinned or the equivalent of tinned chopped tomatoes,
  • Seasoning: salt to taste, freshly milled black pepper plus ½ tsp ground allspice
  • 500g / 1lb 2oz fresh or frozen peas

 

Method.

 

  1. To skin the fresh tomatoes, simply drop them in boiling water, leave them for one minute for the large ones, and 30 seconds for the smaller ones, then remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate, to cool slightly. Slip off the skin and chop.

 

  1. Heat up the oil in a deep medium sized pan. Stir fry the chopped onion for 1 minute then add meat, season with and cook until it is lightly browned. Mix in the carrots, garlic if using, orange peel and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. After that, add chopped tomatoes followed by the water or vegetable stock (if omitting the meat), and bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, after which you mix in the peas. If you are cooking frozen peas, you may need to increase the heat to boiling point before dropping them in. Simmer for another 15 minutes or until the peas are cooked. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.  

 

  1. Discard orange peel and serve hot with plain rice.

Healthy and easy to prepare, the combination of spinach, kibbeh and coriander give this soup a delicious warming taste. In this recipe, the kibbeh mixture does not need any filling, simply shape it into little patties then fry before dropping them into the simmering soup.

 

When we were children, we loved these little kibbeh patties on their own, so we used to dip them in yoghurt and eat them, very yummy! 

 

Serves: 4-6

 

Ingredients.

 

  • ½ quantity of the kibbeh mixture (See recipe for kibbeh)
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil
  • About 1.2 l / 2 pints beef or vegetable stock
  • 1 medium onion finely sliced
  • 5 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
  • 20g / ¾ oz rice (optional, if you want to make the soup more substantial)
  • 500 gm / 1lb 2 oz spinach washed and chopped
  • 30 gm / 1? oz fresh coriander (rough stalks cut off) washed, and chopped
  • Seasoning: Salt and freshly milled black pepper

 

Procedure.

 

  1. Prepare the kibbeh then mould into little patties. Heat up 3tbsp oil and fry them until lightly browned, alternatively deep fry, remove and drain the excess fat on a kitchen paper.
  2. Next, heat up 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Add onions and sauté until soft then stir in the garlic and cook for further 1 minute.
  3. Add the beef or vegetable stock to the onions-garlic mixture, bring to boil, (If using rice stir it in and let it simmer for 10 minutes) then add the kibbeh patties followed by spinach. Give the soup a good stir, season and simmer for 10-15 minutes until everything is cooked. A few minutes before the finishing time, add the chopped coriander.
  4. Serve hot.