Meatball soup with Herbs

This is a recipe inspired by my grandmother's famous boiled meatballs. The dish is so simple to make, and I like it with a lot of herbs, which just makes it really fresh. 

Meatball Soup with Herbs

Meatballs
500 g minced beef
A handful of dill
Breadcrumbs
1 egg
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Soup
4-5 potatoes, peeled and diced
3 carrots, diced
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
A handful of dill, chopped
A handful of coriander, chopped
A handful of parsley, chopped
1 tbs beef stock
1/2 tbs onion stock
olive oil

1. Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs. 
2. Make small balls, medium sized.
3. Fry the onion and the garlic in a pan for a few minutes. Add the potatoes
and the carrots and keep frying for a few minutes.
4. Add approx. 1,5 l water, the beef stock, the onion stock and all the
herbs finely chopped. Bring to boil and add the meatballs. Season with salt
as needed. Let boil on low heat for about 30 minutes.
5. Serve just like that, or with some rice. Do as you wish!

Enjoy! 

Tip

• If you are a beetroot fan, I strongly suggest that you trade the potatoes for beetroot. They give the dish an amazing color and also a great deep flavor. I suggest that you make a good basmati rice and add the soup on top. Be brave, try!   

© 2012 Jill Schweber and Channa Waje, all rights reserved

Cauliflower with Apple and Tumeric

Here’s a dish for the cauliflower fan:

Cauliflower, nuts, apple and coriander, that’s a lovely combination. The beautiful yellow color comes from a dash of tumeric in the water while boiling the cauliflower. It's simple to make and a perfect side dish to both meat and fish. If you think apples are out of place, just skip them.

Ingredients (serves 4)
Water
Salt
1 cauliflower
1 apple, sliced
1 tsp tumeric
4 tbs of sunflower seeds
A handful of coriander, chopped 
6 tbs olive oil
4 tbs of lemon juice
Salt and pepper

1. Put the cauliflower in a pan and cover with water. Bring the water to boil and add salt and tumeric.

2. Boil the cauliflower until al dente (not too soft). Then remove from the water and rinse it with cold water.

3. Dived the cauliflower to bouqets.

4. Rost the sunflower seeds until they receive a nice golden color. Let cool for a bit.

5. Mix all the ingredients, let it rest for about ten minutes. Transfer to a nice serving dish.

Enjoy!  

© 2012 Jill Schweber and Channa Waje, all rights reserve 

Persian Rice

When I first came to Israel two years ago, I was absolutely chocked about how they always flavor their rice here. I couldn't understand why they would do such a terrible thing to the rice. Being Swedish and all, I was under the assumption that the main dish, such as a meat stew, should give flavor to the side dish, not the other way around. I'm coming from a very culinary family, so I thought I knew a thing or two, but no. Flavored rice is not something we are familiar with in Sweden. It took me a long time to adjust, but once I tasted a good Persian rice, I immediately understood why they don't eat so much plain rice in this country. At first I thought that they had it all wrong, but it turned out to be the other way around. It was I who had it all wrong. Flavored rice is the best thing ever and should be eaten by everyone. Trust me, once you go flavored rice, you won't go back!

This is a simple recipe for a good Persian rice that I make. Inspired by my boyfriend’s Persian grandmother (we will return to her food later on, that woman makes amazing things with food). The cardamom mixed with dill is giving this dish a very interesting twist.

Ingredients (serves 6-8)
3 cups of Persian rice or basmati
Chicken stock
1 onion
A handful of coriander, chopped
A handful of parsley, chopped
A handful of dill, chopped
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp oriental cumin
A dash of turmeric (to give a lovely yellow color)
Oil
Black pepper, finely ground
Salt

1. Cover the bottom of a pan with oil. Add the onion and fry until golden brown.

2. Add the rice and fry until it turns white. Add the herbs and spices and mix well.

3. Add 4 1/2 cups of chicken stock. As soon as the water starts boiling, turn the heat down and let simmer until all the water is reduced.

4. Let the rice rest for a while. Mix all the herbs with the rice, using a fork (they float up to the surface when the rice is boiling).

Enjoy!

© 2012 Jill Schweber and Channa Waje, all rights reserve