Egg-Stuffed Pomegranate Meatballs

attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

Egg-Stuffed Pomegranate Meatball cut in half When I think of the ultimate comfort food for these colder nights, my mind goes straight to these meatballs. My mum taught me to make them decades after my grandmother (her mother-in-law) taught her how. These fantastically textured meatballs are on the larger side, and are sweet, savoury, and tart. When you slice one open, you'll find a perfectly cooked hardboiled egg in the center, hugged by plums and sprinkled with softened walnuts. The broth served beneath compliments them so well. I urge you to try these.

*This recipe makes 6 large meatballs. I can easily eat one but people with lesser appetites, like my parents, share one. :)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Yield: 6 large meatballs

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lb lean ground beef or lamb
1 1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 parboiled yellow split peas
1/4 cup fried onions
1 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp dried dill
1 Tbsp dried marjoram
1 Tbsp Persian spice mix
1/4 cup packed chickpea powder
3 Tbsp salt
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup pomegranate paste
6 hardboiled eggs
12 walnut halves, broken into pieces
12 dried plums
1/4 cup barberries, washed/drained (optional)

Steps:

Mix together the meat, rice, parboiled yellow split peas, fried onion, half of the salt, dill, marjoram, spices, and chickpea powder. Use your hands to mix it all together very well, then divide into 6 parts.

Place some plastic wrap in a bowl. Put one segment of the meat in the bowl, then add a hardboiled egg, some walnuts, and 2 dried plums.

Optionally, if you'd like your meatballs on the sour side, use 1/4 cup of barberries divided amongst the 6 meatballs when stuffing.

Lift the plastic wrap up and pat the mixture into a huge ball, making sure there is no air trapped inside. Repeat with the rest until you have 6 meatballs.

Put about 2 cups of water in a large pot. Add the remaining salt, tomato paste, and pomegranate paste. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add meatballs to the pot.

Add more water to cover the meatballs. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Keep cooking until the water becomes a soup and is reduced by half.

To serve, place meatball in a bowl and ladle in some of the broth.

Egg-Stuffed Pomegranate Meatball serving

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