Cook with Us #8 - Red Beetroot Kubbe Soup! A Delicious Comfort Food from the Iraqi Cuisine @Cooknbake

Hi guys! In my recent food posts I've glided a bit into my grandmothers delicious Iraqi cuisine stories and recipes :) Sooooo many memories and so much fun learning from her how to make the favorite dishes that I grew up on!
I mentioned that my favorite family food is my grandmas famous Iraqi dish -
the delicious...

Red Beetroot Kubbe Soup!

I wasn't planning on cooking it sometime soon or posting about it BUT... thanks to @cookwithus who added a bonus theme to this weeks contest which is..... Make a family favorite dish based on the country you grew up in - my family and I got to enjoy this meal and I am so happy to share it here as well!

Just to clarify, I did not grow up in Iraq, as my grandmothers did, BUT I grew up on homemade Iraqi food that was made from both my grandmothers and my mother who, of course, learned from them all of these great recipes! :)

My entry for this weeks Cook with Us #8 - Contest:

Red Beetroot Kubbe Soup- Recipe
@Cooknbake

The Kubbeh are dumplings filled with meat and are cooked in a delicious tangy/sweet flavored beet soup and served hot. It is such a great comfort food, especially on cold winter days!
This is one of those dishes that every Iraqi mother knows how to make and always has a batch in the freezer! :)

For the Kubbeh:

Ingredients:

(makes about 30 kubbeh)
For the Coating:
400gr chicken breast, minced
3 cups rice
1 tablespoon oil
¼ cup Semolina
1 teaspoon salt

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For the filling:
500gr ground beef, minced
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
¼ cup breadcrumbs

Method:

1-Rinse the rice and place in a bowl and pour water, enough to cover the rice. Let sit for ½ hour.
2-Meanwhile Prepare the filling:
Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl. Add more salt/pepper to taste if desired.

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3-Prepare the coating:
Strain the rice and place in a blender. Pulse a few minutes, while gradually adding the ground chicken breast, and the mixture becomes a fine texture that is easy to work with. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until combined.

(Note: If the mixture is too dry, add a bit more water. If it is too wet, add more semolina.)

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4-Make the Kubbeh!
With wet hands, take about 15 gr from the coating mixture, place in palm of your hand and flatten. In the center place about 20 gr of the filling mixture, wrap the coating around the meat with your thumb and pinch the edges. Roll into a fine smooth ball, set aside and continue with the remaining mixture. Refrigerate the balls until the soup is ready.

My grandmother used to make a very large batch of these kubbeh and freeze them at this point on a baking sheet. Once frozen, shed place them in an airtight container and whenever needed she would simply add the frozen kubbeh to the hot soup and they would be ready in no time!

For the Soup:

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, minced or cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons tomato paste
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground pepper
3 medium-large beets, peeled and cut into thin slices or wedges
5 cups water
½-1 teaspoon citric acid

Method:

1-In a large pot heat oil on medium-high heat. Add onion and fry until golden-brown. Add tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper and mix. Add the beetroot and mix a few minutes while gradually adding a bit of water, so it does not burn.

2-Add water until covers the beetroot, stir in the citric acid and bring to a boil.
3-Reduce to medium heat, place lid on pot and cook for 20 minutes.
4-Carefully drop in the kubbeh one by one into the hot soup (without crowding them)and add more water until covers them as well.

5 Cover the pot and continue cooking on medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Enjoy the amazing smell!

and of course-ENJOY the delicious, comforting taste!!!

Hope you liked!

ENJOY EACH BITE!

Simple Recipes @Cooknbake :)

More simple recipes to come! So stay tuned :)

-All pictures are mine and original, taken on my Galaxy S7 phone-

I love reading your thoughts and comments! Any feedback is always welcome ! So please keep 'em coming! :)

See you soon!

Have a great week!

Much Love ❤️
@Cooknbake
Simple recipes for any home :)

A big thank you to the Cook with Us team:@chefsteve , @pandamama and @offoodandart for these great contests!!