The adventure: I love a good stew. It's somewhat of a craving for me. If I have a rough week, feel under the weather, need a little pick me up, I go for a good stew. This week, for whatever reason, I needed a good stew. Luckily, I found this one months ago and put it in the stash to try some day. Some day it is! 

Pre-adventure Jitters: There's a flavor profile about this stew that I find unsettling...parsley and pomegranate. I love pomegranate. SERIOUSLY love pomegranate. I like drinking it, eating it, cooking with it, everything. I've tried every method out there for getting the seeds out, including "spanking" the fruit. Mhm...no...doesn't work so swell. That being said, I do not like parsley. I appreciate the need in certain things like potato salad, but mixed with pomegranate kinda makes my stomach turn in anticipation. But here we go. Armed with my recipe from "Flatbreads and Flavors" by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, and a predisposition to say, "YUCK", the adventure begins.

The Adventure: The shopping list is short. Most everything is already in my pantry and freezer. I'm left with pomegranate juice, spinach, parsley, and dried spearmint. Suhweet! I'm gonna fly through the store like a beast. The discount store doesn't have pomegranate juice, but I didn't really expect it, so I grab the spinach and parsley and head to the traditional store for the final two ingredients. 

I know exactly where the pom juice is (because again, love love love pomegranate). I scamper on through to the spices annnddd no spearmint. Dammit. Waldo cannot be found locally. I have no choice but to buy online. I'm soooo disappointed that I couldn't support local shops on this one. But it is what it is. I delay my cook until the following weekend when the spearmint is scheduled to arrive.

Now that I finally have my spearmint, I get started. The recipe says it takes just 20 minutes to prep, 20 minutes to cook. So I start about an hour before lunch time. It takes a solid 7 minutes to peel and shred the onion. I mush up my meat mixture and we're at 15 minutes. Yeaahhhhh...20 minutes my ass. Haha! I start making mini meatballs. The directions say it makes 50 of them. Ahahahahahahaha! 20 minutes times what?! I make an executive decision...my lunch menu is now postponed to dinner. 

I work through all the prep slloowwwly. I'm ready to go once dinner time arrives. The rice gets tossed in. 5 minutes later, I grab the plate of meatballs and start to dump them annndddd that little voice in my head sends up an alarm. I suddenly envision what could go wrong if a pound of meatballs hits boiling liquid at a high velocity. Mhm...I finally have a little voice BEFORE I make a whoops, not after. I grab the tongs and place the meatballs in one at a time. The rest is a piece of cake. About 10 minutes in, I lift the lid to stir and the steam rises. I inhale deeply, hoping to catch a waft of something yummy annnddd the smell is off putting. Wellll crap. That does not bode well.   

So here we go. The soup is ladled into the bowl, mint sprinkled on top, slice of fresh bread on the side, and we give a taste. Maybe not even a taste, the amount of soup on my spoon can be measured in molecules at this point. I'm so flippin' nervous.

Annndddd not a fan. It's just not a flavor profile I'm fond of. A little too sweet, maybe...or a little too tangy? I don't know, it's a little too something. BUT, I've tried something new and the cooks are getting much much easier, which makes me smile. On to the next adventure!

The Recipe - Ash

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 medium onions grated
• scant 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

For the soup:

• 12 cups water
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup long grain rice, such as basmati or jasmine
• 1 cup spinach or chard leaves, well washed and shredded
• 1-1/2 cups flat leafed parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped scallions
• 2 cups fresh pomegranate juice or unsweetened cranberry  juice
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice

For the garnish:

• 3 TBSP dried spearmint
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 limes, cut into wedges

Instructions

• To make the meatballs: In a large mixing bowl, combine the meat, onions, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Mix well with a spoon, then knead with your hands to produce an elastic mass of even consistency.
• To form the meatballs:  Scoop out heaping teaspoons of the meat mixture and roll them between your palms into firm round balls. Place the balls on a plate as you work. You should have 45 to 55 meatballs. (The recipe can be prepared ahead to this point and the meatballs stored, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for 24 hours or in the freezer for 1 week.)
• To make the soup:  Put the water in a large pot. Add the salt and bring to a boil. Toss in the rice and boil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the remaining soup ingredients and the meatballs, and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, partially covered, for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender but not mushy and the meatballs are cooked through. Remove from the heat.
• Rub the mint to a powder between your palms, and combine with the slat and pepper in a small bowl.
• Serve the soup in large bowls and sprinkle a generous teaspoon of the mint mixture over each bowlful. Place the remaining seasoning powder on the table if you wish. Serve with lime wedges, so that your guests can temper the soup's sweetness with tart lime juice, and have stacks of fresh breads on hand.