Kofte Tabriz

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 800 g lean minced lamb
• 300 g chickpeas
• 100 g rice
• 3 onions
• 8 eggs
• 6 walnuts
• 12 prunes
• 12 apricot(s), dried
• 1 tbsp barberries
• 1 lemon(s)
• 1 bunch mint, chopped
• 1 bunch basil, chopped
• 1 tsp turmeric
• Saffron
• salt and pepper
• 1 ½ liters of meat broth
• 1 sprig(s) cherry tomato(s)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 50 ml vegetable oil
• Sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 2 hours

Azerbaijani recipe

Soak the dried apricots, prunes, and barberries in water. Cook the chickpeas and rice until tender. Hard-boil six eggs. Make a broth from the saffron and a little water. Mash 200 grams of the chickpeas and rice and add to the minced meat. Add half a teaspoon of turmeric, the chopped mint and basil, a finely chopped onion, two eggs, the juice of one lemon, and a tablespoon of the saffron broth. Knead the mixture for ten minutes, season with salt and pepper, and let it rest for ten minutes. Form the mixture into twelve meatballs. Make an opening in the center of each and place half an egg, a prune, an apricot, half a walnut, and a few barberries inside. Reseal the opening so that the contents are not visible. The kofte will then be about the size of an apple. Place the meatballs in a large, coverable dish. Fill the meatballs halfway with meat broth and place the cherry tomatoes on top. Cover and braise in the oven at 160°C for about an hour. For the sauce, slice two onions into thin rings and lightly brown them in vegetable oil. Add half a teaspoon of turmeric, two tablespoons of tomato paste, two tablespoons of saffron broth, and the remaining chickpeas. Pour in the broth and simmer for about 20 minutes. Season to taste with sugar, salt, and pepper. If you made the broth yourself and have leftover pieces of meat, you can also chop them into the broth. To serve, pour the tomato and onion sauce over the kofte. Fresh flatbread is the best accompaniment.