The dish takes its name from the Ottoman pasha who administered Mount Lebanon in the nineteenth century. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes. The meatballs are usually fried, then cooked in a tomato sauce, but baked this way they have a light, fresh flavor.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　1 1/2 pounds ground lamb

　　2 onions, grated or finely chopped

　　Salt and pepper

　　1 teaspoon cinnamon

　　1/2 teaspoon allspice

　　2/3 cup pine nuts

　　1/2 cup raisins (optional)

　　Vegetable oil

　　2 pounds tomatoes, peeled

　　2 teaspoons sugar

　　3 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)

　　

Step 1

In a bowl, mix the ground lamb with the onions, salt and pepper, cinnamon, and allspice, and work to a paste with your hand. Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. Make a hole in each ball with your finger and stuff in a few pine nuts—and raisins if you wish. Then close the hole. Alternatively, and more easily, work the pine nuts and raisins into the meat paste, then roll it into balls.

　　

Step 2

Put a little oil in a soup plate and roll the meatballs in it. Then put them in a baking dish and bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 15–20 minutes, until their color changes.

　　

Step 3

Cut the tomatoes up and liquidize them in the food processor or blender. Add a little salt and pepper, the sugar, and the garlic, and pour over the meatballs. Bake for another 35 minutes, turning the meatballs over once.

　　

Step 4

Serve hot.

　　

Variations

Step 5

Add the juice of 1 lemon and a good pinch of chili flakes to the sauce.

　　

Step 6

Another way is to peel and chop the tomatoes, fry the garlic in 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan for a moment or two, until the aroma rises, then add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar and simmer 10 minutes. Bake the meatballs on their own as described above for 15 minutes, then add them to the tomato sauce and simmer for 20 minutes more, or until the sauce is reduced and the meatballs are very tender.

　　The New Book of Middle Eastern Food Copyright © 2000Knopf