Feeling Ballsy

Hi.  I am back...

Did you think I was dropped off the face of the earth?  Well, close... I was dropped off on South Beach, Miami for a vacation with my family (not a bad place to vanish to, huh?).  It was literally last minute and not long enough, BUT MUCH NEEDED.  Since our return and bouncing back to reality, we had the Father's Day to celebrate of course.  With the new smoker in the house, naturally that's what my husband wanted to do on his special day.  So the Friday before, he showed up home with 20 pounds of ribs and chicken - just for us!  "Are you kidding me?"  We need to have at least 10-12 people to take care of this amount of meat!  Beside my mother-in-law, couple of friends were able to come over.  We are still 50% under the number of people we need to have, but that's okay... we'll eat smoked ribs and chicken all week long (like that has never happened before)!  That's what has been happening all week.  You know what that means: not much cooking on my part...

I have a couple of recipes in mind that will be just great for summer days and I cannot wait to share them with you. You should know that one of the most popular dishes in Iran is Kabob.  I would say that it's a traditional weekend "eat" for most Iranians, especially the ones who live in Iran.  It is also a meal that is most served for weddings, funerals and most other occasions (Iranians will look for any excuse to eat Kabobs).  There are different variation of Kabobs: beef, lamb, chicken, ground meat, fish and etc.  Kabobs are generally cooked on a charcoal grill.  The traditional way of serving Kabobs is over steamed white rice, saturated with butter and saffron and some sumac with roasted tomatoes and grilled onions.  It is absolutely delicious.  If you get a chance to try this delicious meal, do not pass up because you will regret it!  Most of our non-Persians friends have also become fans of this dish.

Today, I decided to simplify this recipe.  I will be making the ground beef version of this in the oven and served as a sandwich with Persian cucumber and tomato salad.  This dish is so easy to make and is perfect for the hot summer days.

Sumac Balls

Ingredients:

1 pound ground sirloin

1 small onion grated

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

¼ teaspoon sumac powder + extra for garnish

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

Pinch of saffron powder

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Using your hands, mix well.  Either using your hands or an ice cream scoop, make 1” to 1.5” round balls.  It is very important that the meat is at room temperature so it can cook evenly.  Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and put in preheat oven at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

As for the salad, I must also say that this too is quite popular among Persians as well as non-Persians.  Perhaps you might have had the Greek or the Turkish version of this salad, but the Persian variety is quite awesome.  We also refer to it as "Salad Shirazi."  It is named after a city in Iran, Shiraz, which is located in the southwest of Iran.  Shiraz is known as a city of poets, wine and flowers.  I have never been to Shiraz myself, but from what I have heard, it's an amazing place.  I hope to visit some day with my family.

The following recipe is what I grew up with.  It is so refreshing and will go perfectly with the sumac balls as well as so many other dishes - Persian or not.

Persian Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

3 Persian cucumbers cut into small dice (no need to peel)

2 round tomatoes cut into small dice

3 scallions thinly sliced (both green and white parts)

2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint (you can also use dried mint but use 1 tablespoon only)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.  You can either refrigerate it or serve immediately.  This is one of those salads that it tastes better the longer it sits.

Persian Cucumber and Tomato Salad

 Note: It is recommended to use Persian cucumbers since they are seedless and also have very thin skin.  If not handy, use European cucumber.  If you have waxy cucumbers, you need to peel and also scoop the seeds out. 

We made ourselves sandwiches with pocket pitas filled with the sumac balls and the salad.  They were delicious.  You should try them some time ;) 

Pita Filled with Sumac Balls & Salad

Note: Minted yogurt doesn't really need a recipe... a bowl of yogurt mixed with a pinch of dried mint + salt and pepper.  You can serve these sumac balls as an appetizer dish over a thin layer of sumac with the minted yogurt dipping sauce.  They will be a hit at your next gathering!

Have a wonderful weekend.