I’m a fan of
Ottolenghi. A true one that owns all his books, makes pilgrimages in his London restaurant, watches his cooking shows (a great series about Mediterranean cuisine, lovely), and reads religiously
his column in The Guardian.
Recently it was about Bukharan Jews. Never heard about it yet? It used to be a state
before USSR fell, and would now be located in Uzbekistan.
Nowadays the whole community is mainly split between Israel and New York City but is still supposed to have kept its tradition.
Thus cuisine, here we come. It’s neither Sephardic, nor Ashkenazi. With this specific localization you can taste the crossroads of influences. From Iranian neighbours to Chinese nomads, halfway
between Russia and India. The Silk Road on your plate.
Here comes a national dish, loosely following the Ottolenghi recipe.
It’s a perfect dish for vegetable lovers as the stew seasoning (a bit of coriander and cumin) is not overwhelming and will allow you to enjoy all the kitchen garden flavours. The lemon-apricot
mix brings a slight tangy taste that fits perfectly with the chicken meatballs.
A genial discovery that makes me feel like
digging even deeper into Bukharan cuisine.
For 4 persons:
First prepare the vegetables. Peel and cut 5 potatoes in cubes. Cut 2 courgettes in slices.
Peel and cut 3 apples in small pieces.
Cut 15 dried apricots in half.
Heat up some olive oil in a big pot and add the entire vegetable & fruit mix. Fry it for 10 minutes and cover with ½ liter of chicken stock. Add the zest of half a lemon cut in tiny pieces +
½ tsp coriander powder + ½ tsp cumin powder + salt + pepper.
Let it gently simmer it while making the meatballs.
Meatballs:
Mix 250g minced chicken + 250g minced beef + 3tbsp breadcrumbs + a handful chopped parsley + the zest of half a lemon cut in tiny pieces + salt + pepper + chili powder (to your taste) in a
bowl.
Mix with your fingers and roll into 20 meatballs.
Beat one egg in a small bowl. Put some extra bread crumbs in another bowl,.
Roll each meatball first in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Fry it in a pan with olive oil until golden. Put then every meatball in the pot on top of the vegetables. Cover and simmer on low
fire for an hour.
When ready to serve chop some parsley and grill some pine nuts.
Serve the vegetables topped with the meatballs and finish it up with the herbs.
Enjoy!