Parcha bozbash (lamb soup with chestnuts quin
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1 lb Boneless lean lamb
Instructions:
; cut in 1" cubes Salt; to taste Pepper black; to taste 3 tb Butter 1 md Onion finely chopped 4 c Beef broth 1 md Potato peeled and cubed 1 sm Quince; peeled/cored/cubed 1/2 c Dried pitted prunes OR 1 c fresh sour prunes 1/4 lb Chestnuts shelled & peeled 2/3 c Canned chick-peas* ; drained & rinsed 2 tb Ghi Season the lamb with salt and pepper. In a heavy pot melt the 3 tb. butter over moderate heat. Add the lamb and onion; saute until browned stirring frequently. Add the broth; season to taste with salt. Cover; simmer 30 minutes. Add the potato quince prunes and chestnuts. Cover; simmer 20 minutes. Add the chick-peas and simmer covered about 15 minutes or until done. Stir in the clarified butter and allow to melt before serving soup. Note: 1/4 tsp. ginger or a pinch of powdered saffron dissolved in 2 tb. warm water may be added with the chick-peas and the soup served sprinkled with 1 ts. crushed dried mint accompanied by chopped onion and sumakh on the side. In the Caucasus ground kyurdyuk is normally used instead of the clarified butter and dried chick-peas* rather than canned ones. The dried chick-peas are soaked several hours drained and added at the beginning with the broth. Personal note: I've found sumakh (labelled as sumac a spice mixture) at Middle Eastern groceries. The author describes this soup as an "outstanding" Azerbaidzhani soup. From "Cooking from the Caucasus" by Sonia Uvezian. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1978. Pp. 52-53. ISBN 0-15-622594-8. Posted by Cathy Harned. Submitted By SAM WARING
