French Fry and Lamb Soup

After almost two months hiatus due to extreme busyness, Extra Schmaltz! returns. This is a tasty, comforting soup that Alex and I had in Jordan. You can use either lamb or kufta, which is a ground, seasoned meat that can be found at Holy Land (or you could season your own). I don’t have a photo, but the soup should be fairly brothy and red, with meat chunks and, of course, french fries in it. In Jordan the fries are sort of soggy and lame, but they’re really good in this soup.

• ~1 lb meat: either kufta in 3/4″ meatballs or cubed lamb
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• (optional: stew bones)
• red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 onion, slivered
• 3 Tbsp. pepper or tomato paste
• 4 c. chicken broth
• 1 c. (1/2 can) tomato sauce
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 medium spicy pepper, slivered (ie Hungarian wax or Anaheim)
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 3 handfuls wedge french fries or Jo-jos
• salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot or pressure cooker, heat the oil on high and brown the meat. When the edges begin to crisp, add the onions and cook until they begin to soften. Add the red pepper paste or tomato paste and stir so it coats the meat and onions. Pepper paste can be found at the Middle Eastern market and is much yummier than tomato paste. If you have stew bones, add them now.

If using a pressure cooker, add ~1/2 c. of the chicken broth (or enough to cover the meat half-way) and cook on high for 6 minutes, then release pressure using natural-release method. Otherwise, simmer the meat in 2 c. of broth for 45 minutes. Once the meat is tender, add the remaining broth, tomato sauce, tomatoes, peppers, and coriander. Simmer for 20 more minutes.

Add the french fry wedges and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

So, hopefully that’s more interesting for the blog than the mac ‘n’ cheese and instant udon that I’ve been living on. Let’s keep this blog going!