Shared by Rottem Lieberson
Shared by Rottem Lieberson
Dolmeh Beh (Quince Stuffed With Beef and Cardamom)
Yield: 9 to 12 piecesTime: 1 h
Dolmeh Beh (Quince Stuffed With Beef and Cardamom)
Yield: 9 to 12 piecesTime: 1 hFamily Journey
Tehran, IranSha’ar Haliyah (near Haifa), IsraelJerusalem
Tel Aviv
Hanom always stuffed vegetables for Rosh Hashanah. Often it was cabbage with cherries in the pot to make a sweet and sour dish. Inspired by her, Hanom created this recipe. “I took all the tastes she gave me and put them inside the quince,” she says.
This recipe was shared by Rottem Lieberson. Read more about her family in "A Persian Grandmother and Her Secret Rosh Hashanah Recipes" and try her recipes for faloodeh (chilled apple drink with rose water), tahdig (crispy saffron rice with barberries and potatoes), and khoresh sib (lamb stew with quince and dried apricot).
Ingredients
- 3 quinces
- 2 cardamom pods
For the filling
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
- 1 pound ground beef or lamb
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup roasted unsalted pistachios, finely chopped
- 1½ tablespoons barberries
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon advieh (Persian spice mix)
For the sauce
- 2 saffron threads
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons boiling water
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- 2 cardamom pods
- ½ jalapeno, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
For garnish
Roasted unsalted pistachios, finely chopped
Preparation
Step 1
Place the quinces and cardamom pods into a medium pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue cooking for 20 minutes, until the quinces are fork tender. Drain and allow the quinces to cool . Cut each quince crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Use a knife to remove the core from each piece, keeping the quince’s ring shape intact. Discard the core and set the quince pieces aside.
Step 2
Make the filling: Place the onion into a food processor and process until finely chopped, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can finely chop the onion by hand. Place the onion into a large bowl and add the ground meat, tarragon, cilantro, pistachios, barberries, salt and advieh. Knead the mixture together until combined well. Divide the meat mixture into balls, the same number of balls as quince slices. Fill the empty core of each quince with a ball of the meat mixture.
Step 3
Make the sauce: Place the saffron and sugar into the bottom of a mortar and pestle and pound the saffron until it is ground into a powder. Place the saffron and sugar into a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Mix well and set aside for 15 minutes. Add this saffron water into a medium pot with the chicken broth or water, cardamom, jalapeno, and lemon juice and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Add salt and pepper and remove it from the heat. Set aside.
Step 4
Place 3 tablespoons of olive oil into the bottom of a wide pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the stuffed quince pieces with the meat side down into the pot in one layer and sear until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Flip the quince pieces and pour the sauce over them until they are covered halfway. Place a lid on the pot and cook for 25 minutes, or until the quinces are tender and the meat is cooked. Occasionally, baste the quince with the sauce.
Step 5
Transfer the stuffed quinces to a serving plate, pour sauce on top and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios. Serve hot.
