Ingredients
Units Scale
- SOUP BASE:
- 1 cup regular bulgur wheat
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 large tomato, preferably heirloom
- 1 fresh Poblano or Italian pepper
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- ***
- MEATBALL:
- 600 g (1 1/3 lb.) ground beef, preferably 80/20 or ground lamb – whichever you prefer
- 1/2 cup fine bulgur wheat
- 2 Tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp. dried basil
- 1 Tbsp. dried tarragon
- 1/2 cup diced scallions
- 6 small eggs (just barely hard-boiled, 10 minutes in a few inches of water on a low boil)
- 1 large egg (raw)
- 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and minced
- ***
- RED SAUCE
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil
- 1/2 cup meat stock (TFD change, original recipe called for water)
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. paprika
- 1/2 Tbsp. smoked paprika (TFD change, use regular paprika for original)
- 1 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
- ***
- Garnish: minced parsley and crusty bread
Instructions
- Soup base:
- Add the 1 cup of regular bulgur wheat into a large pot containing 6 cups of water.
- Add 1 tsp. salt, 3 Tbsp. butter, the poblano or Italian pepper (whole) and the tomato roughly chopped. Bring to the boil then simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Mix occasionally. Do not cover pot as it may boil over.
- Making the meatballs:
- Soak ½ cup of the fine bulgur wheat in cold water for 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl add the ground meat, salt, dried herbs, scallions, the raw egg and the pre-soaked bulgur wheat above (well drained). Add minced jalpeño to the bowl. Knead this mixture by hand until all the components are well combined.
- Divide the ground meat into six equal portions. For each portion, form into a flat disc and place a peeled hard-boiled egg in the centre. Mold the meat around the egg to fully cover it. Pinch the ends so that it won’t open when cooked. Form into ball shape.
- Add the meatballs into the pot containing the bubbling wheat soup and simmer for 30 minutes. Add extra water if needed but ensure that the soup is not too thin.
- Red sauce:
- In a separate pan heat the oil. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Mix in ½ cup of meat stock and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add all of the sauce into the meatball soup, mixing it throughly. Simmer the soup for another 5 to 10 mins.
- To serve: For each person, pour a bowl of the soup and add a meatball. Sprinkle with some fresh chopped parsley. Eat with crusty bread.
