Bozbaş is a family of meat soups cooked across the South Caucasus and Iran, and küftə bozbaş is the version Azerbaijan claims most warmly: ground lamb beaten smooth with onion and a spoonful of rice, rolled into balls the size of a small apple, and simmered with chickpeas and potatoes in a broth tinted gold with saffron. Hidden in the middle of each meatball is a single dried sour plum, alça, which softens as it cooks and gives every bite near the center a sharp, fruity surprise. It is a winter dish at heart, the kind that steams up the kitchen windows.

The name explains the method. Küftə comes from a Persian word for beating, because the meat is worked until it turns smooth and sticky, and bozbaş is usually read as grey head, a frank description of a large round meatball bobbing in broth. Families eat it in two ways at once: spoon the broth first, then break the meatball open on the plate and mash it with potatoes, chickpeas and torn bread. Nobody at the table will ask for a knife, and one meatball each is a full meal, which leaves plenty of attention for the race.

The chickpeas and broth

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (150 g) dried chickpeas
• 10 cups (2.4 liters) cold water
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt

Method

1. Put the drained chickpeas in the large pot with the cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat so the water bubbles gently. Use the slotted spoon to lift off the grey foam that rises in the first 5 minutes and throw it away.
2. Cover the pot with the lid slightly open and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes. Taste a chickpea: it should be soft on the outside with just a little firmness in the middle. Stir the tomato paste and salt into the water until the paste dissolves.

The meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) ground lamb
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 3 tablespoons short grain rice
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 6 dried sour plums (alça)

Method

1. Put the lamb, grated onion with its juice, rice, salt, pepper and turmeric in the mixing bowl. Mix with one clean hand, squeezing the meat through your fingers, then slap and knead it against the side of the bowl for a full 3 to 4 minutes. This beating is what gives küftə its name and its smooth, springy texture.
2. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes while the chickpeas finish simmering. Meanwhile, if your plums are very hard, soak them in a little warm water for 10 minutes and pat them dry.
3. Wet your hands with cold water. Divide the meat into 6 equal portions, each about the size of a small apple. Flatten one portion in your palm into a thick round, set a plum in the center and fold the meat up and around it. Roll it between your palms until it is perfectly smooth, with no cracks. Repeat with the rest and set them on a plate.

Cooking and finishing

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 3 medium (about 1 lb, 450 g) waxy potatoes
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• 1 small red onion
• 2 teaspoons ground sumac
• 1 flatbread or crusty loaf

Method

1. Put the crumbled saffron in the small bowl, pour over the hot water and leave it to steep for at least 10 minutes while you start the meatballs.
2. Bring the chickpea broth back to a gentle boil. Lower the meatballs in one at a time with a large spoon, spacing them apart. Turn the heat down at once so the broth only shivers, and do not stir for the first 10 minutes, or the soft meatballs may break.
3. After 15 minutes, slip the potato chunks and tomato quarters into the spaces between the meatballs and pour in the saffron with its water. Cover and simmer very gently for 30 to 35 minutes. Skim off any foam or fat you do not want with a spoon.
4. Crumble the dried mint between your palms into the pot. Taste the broth and add salt a pinch at a time until it tastes full and savory. Lift out and discard the tomato skins if you like. Rest the pot off the heat for 5 minutes.

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