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Title: Parcha Bozbash (Lamb Soup with Chestnuts Quin
Categories: Soups, Lamb/mutton, Ayzeri
Yield: 4 Servings

1 lb Boneless lean lamb
; cut in 1" cubes
Salt; to taste
Pepper, black; to taste
3 tb Butter
1 md Onion, finely chopped
4 c Beef broth
1 md Potato, peeled and cubed
1 sm Quince; peeled/cored/cubed
1/2 c Dried pitted prunes
OR 1 c fresh sour prunes
1/4 lb Chestnuts, shelled & peeled
2/3 c Canned chick-peas*
; drained & rinsed
2 tb Ghi

Season the lamb with salt and pepper. In a heavy pot, melt the 3 tb.
butter over moderate heat. Add the lamb and onion; saute until browned,
stirring frequently. Add the broth; season to taste with salt. Cover;
simmer 30 minutes.

Add the potato, quince, prunes, and chestnuts. Cover; simmer 20 minutes.
Add the chick-peas and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until done.
Stir in the clarified butter and allow to melt before serving soup.

Note: 1/4 tsp. ginger or a pinch of powdered saffron dissolved in 2 tb.
warm water may be added with the chick-peas, and the soup served sprinkled
with 1 ts. crushed dried mint, accompanied by chopped onion and sumakh on
the side. In the Caucasus, ground kyurdyuk is normally used instead of the
clarified butter, and dried chick-peas* rather than canned ones. The dried
chick-peas are soaked several hours, drained, and added at the beginning
with the broth.

Personal note: I've found sumakh (labelled as sumac, a spice mixture) at
Middle Eastern groceries.

The author describes this soup as an "outstanding" Azerbaidzhani soup.

From "Cooking from the Caucasus" by Sonia Uvezian. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1978. Pp. 52-53. ISBN 0-15-622594-8. Posted by Cathy Harned.
Submitted By SAM WARING On WED, 01
NOV 1995 134731 GMT

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini