gusht e kubideh - Soup with legumes and lamb in a mortar
Ingredients for people 6
• 500 g of lamb shank with bone and 300 g of pulp
• 2 peeled onions and divided into quarters
• 1 / 5 1 of water
• 230 g of dried yellow peas (lappeh)
• 3 peeled large potatoes cut in half
• 4 peeled and sliced tomatoes
• 1 spoon of tomato concentrate
• 3-4 dried Oman lemons (limus ammoni) drilled with fork tines, or alternatively ¼ cup of lime juice
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• Ground fresh pepper
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 2 cinnamon teaspoons
• 1 teaspoon of powdered saffron pistils and dissolved in 2 tablespoons of hot water
• 1 teaspoon of mixed spices shutters (advieh)
Preparation
Place the meat with water and onions in a large pot and bring to a boil, skimming if necessary. Add the legumes, turmeric, salt and pepper. Let it simmer for about 1 1/2 hours over low heat with the lid on. Add the potatoes, the tomatoes, the concentrate, the cinnamon, the dried lemons, the saffron dissolved in water, the spice mix and more water if necessary. Continue to simmer for another 40 '. Remove all the ingredients (including meat) from the broth with a slotted spoon. Debone the meat and set aside the shin bone; crush it together with the boiled vegetables and legumes until you get a grainy mass, the so-called gusht and kubideh (it should have the consistency of mashed potatoes and mixed with a fork). The traditional recipe involves the use of a stone mortar and pestle, which are able to give the mixture the right consistency. In the absence of a mortar, you can use a bowl and a meat mallet or a mixer, taking care not to obtain a too homogeneous mass. Season with salt and place on a serving tray, sprinkle the mass with a few tablespoons of soup, a sprinkling of cinnamon and to garnish slices of fresh onion. Meanwhile, remove the marrow from the bone that you had set aside, add it to the soup broth and heat while stirring. Serve the broth hot in a bowl next to the pounded meat, accompanying with pickles, fresh herbs and kabab-type bread.