Daoud Basha (Beef Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Pine Nuts and Rice)

Ingredients

• 500 g beef mince
• 3 onion
• 1.5 tsp ground allspice
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 30 g pine nuts
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 400 g chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 300 g basmati rice
• 15 g fresh flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. 1

   Grate 1 onion and squeeze out the juice. Mix with the beef mince, 1 tsp allspice, the cinnamon and 1 tsp salt and roll into about 24 walnut-sized balls.

2. 2

   Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium-high heat and brown the meatballs in batches for about 5 minutes, turning, then lift onto a plate.

3. 3

   Lower the heat, add the remaining oil and fry the other 2 onions, thinly sliced, for 8 minutes until soft and golden. Add the pine nuts for the last 2 minutes.

4. 4

   Stir in the tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, pomegranate molasses, the remaining allspice and 250ml water. Return the meatballs, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until they are cooked through with no pink in the middle and the sauce is thick.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, rinse the basmati rice and put it in a pan with 600ml boiling water and 1 tsp salt. Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 12 minutes, then leave covered off the heat for 5 minutes.

6. 6

   Scatter the meatballs with chopped parsley and serve straight away over the rice.