Name: Casserole of Cauliflower and Meatballs (Tabsi Qirnabeet b-Ras il-‘Asfour)
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Cuisine: Iraqi
Ingredients: ¼ cup (½ oz/15 g) parsley, chopped; 3 heaped tablespoons (one 6 oz/175 g can) tomato paste diluted in 4 cups (950 ml) hot water or one 15 oz/425 g can tomato sauce diluted in 3½ cups (860 ml) hot water; ¼ cup (1 oz/30 g) breadcrumbs; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon each black pepper, allspice, cumin, and ginger powder; ¼ teaspoon chili, or to taste; ¼ cup (½ oz/15 g) chopped parsley and lemon slices; 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 small onion, grated; 1 lb (450 g) lean ground/minced meat; 1½ teaspoons salt; 1 small head of cauliflower (about 2 lb/900 g), broken into florets; ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) split chickpeas, washed; 1 medium onion, chopped; 2 tablespoons oil; 1 garlic clove, grated; ¼ teaspoon chili pepper, or to taste; 1 teaspoon curry powder; ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preparation info

Makes
6
servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Delights from the Garden of Eden

By Nawal Nasrallah

Published 2019

About

The word tabsi rather than marga is used for stew dishes that are denser in consistency than the regular marga. Another characteristic is that the meat and vegetables are layered in a wide shallow pan, like a casserole, and baked. Etymologically, the name tabsi is derived from the Turkish tabs ‘tray’.

The following recipe is an elaboration of the regular cauliflower stew. It is more suitable for formal presentations because it can be elegantly serv