Meatballs and rice

Ingredients for people 6

• 500 g ground beef
• 100 g of rice
• 3 medium onions, of which well-chopped 1 and the other finely sliced ​​2s
• 100 g of chickpea flour
• 500 g of mixed aromatic herbs in equal quantities (parsley, mint, chives, tarragon) or 5 spoons of the relative dried mixture
• 2-3 eggs
• 100 g of dried yellow peas (lappeh)
• 1 glass of tomato sauce
• Fried oil
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• Salt
• Pepper to taste
• 5-6 chopped walnuts
• 1-2 barberry spoons in berries (zereshk, optional).

Please note that:

All the ingredients of the meatballs must be well blended and kneaded for a long time until they feel "sticky" in the hands.
During cooking the meatballs must be covered with water.
The flame should be moderate and the meatballs should not be covered.
In addition to the fried onion, salt, pepper and turmeric are added to the cooking water of the meatballs.
When cooked, no more than 1 or 2 glasses of cooking sauce should remain in the pan.

Preparation

Cook the rice in boiling salted water for a few moments until it softens a bit, then drain it. Boil the legumes separately. Prepare a filling with the minced meat, the drained rice, the chickpeas, the chickpea flour, a small glass of water, salt, pepper and beaten eggs. Incorporate the washed and chopped herbs (if you use dried herbs, soak them in water as indicated and treat them as if they were fresh). Knead the dough for a long time until, as mentioned, it becomes very firm and dry. Fry the finely chopped onions in abundant oil, add the turmeric, season with salt and pepper, add 5-6 glasses of water and bring to a boil. With wet hands, in the meantime, form spherical meatballs the size of an orange. Inside you can introduce fried and salted onions or chopped walnuts and some zereshk. Arrange the prepared meatballs in the water that is now boiling, in a single layer so that the water covers them entirely. Lower the heat to allow slow and complete cooking. Gently turn the meatballs from time to time so that they cook on all sides, and keep on the fire for a total of 40-45 ′, bathing them often with their cooking liquid. Once the meatballs are cooked, separate them from the sauce and, if necessary, let the latter thicken for a few more minutes.