Author: Umm Abdulaziz Alkhayyal
Released: 10/3/2006 12:00:00 AM
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Ramadan Recipes: Family Favorites by Nimah Nawwab
This is one of the most famous dishes in Iraq. It is nutritious and can be cooked any time of the year because its ingredients are always in season. It is usually served with white rice or freshly baked bread.
Stuffing:
1 lb. ground meat (lamb or beef)
2 tsp. oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
Salt and favorite mixed spices to taste (for instance select from black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, paprika, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin)
2-3 tsp. golden raisins
Fry the chopped onions in oil. Add ground meat and continue to stir until it is cooked well and all the meat's juices have been absorbed. Add salt and spices to taste. You may add chopped celery leaf and golden raisins to your liking.
Kubbah and Eggplant
1½ cup bulghor
2 lbs. eggplant
1/2 cup cracked wheat (jarish)
Small piece of lean meat
1 lb. tomatoes (half sliced, half pureed)
Lemon juice to taste
4 tsp. chopped celery leaf
Salt and black pepper to taste
Oil for frying
Clean, wash and drain the bulghor. Add it to the cracked wheat and mix in the blender with the small pieces of lean meat, salt and pepper until texture is dough-like. Cut formed dough into small, circular sections. Fill with the above meat stuffing and close (forming a flat, round shape). Deep fry in oil, taking care when turning that it doesn't break. Cut eggplant into round slices. Sprinkle with salt and fry until golden. Using an oven cooking pan or dish, place the kubbah as the first layer. Add the sliced eggplant as the second layer and the sliced tomatoes as the final layer. Add lemon juice, salt and spices to the pureed tomato and pour into pan. Cook in medium-heat oven until sauce is dry (about 20-30 minutes). Sprinkle the chopped celery leaf over the dish 15 minutes before taking the dish out of the oven.
Umm Abdulaziz Alkhayyal