The Bride’s Chicken Meatballs

Name: The Bride’s Chicken Meatballs (Dar Laarch, or Boulettes de Poulet Dites la Mariée)
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Cuisine: Tunisian
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, or ¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crushed; couscous for serving; salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, or ¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crushed; 1 bay leaf; salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 eggs; freshly ground black pepper to taste; 2 teaspoons salt; good pinch of ground turmeric or saffron threads, crushed; good pinch of ground turmeric or saffron threads, crushed; freshly grated nutmeg to taste; 3 teaspoons crushed dried unsprayed rose petals (optional); four 1-inch-thick slices country bread, soaked in water and squeezed dry; four 1-inch-thick slices country bread, soaked in water and squeezed dry; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 6 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (cilantro); ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 4 small onions, finely chopped; 2 pounds ground chicken

Dar Laarch, or Boulettes de Poulet Dites la Mariée

Preparation info

Serves
6 to 8

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Saffron Shores

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 2002

About

Chicken meatballs can be a wonderful weeknight supper, served with rice or couscous. In Tunisia, Daisy Taieb’s family served chicken meatballs seasoned with crushed dried rose petals to break the fast after Yom Kippur. If you can’t find dried rose petals, the chicken balls will still be delicious.

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

2 pounds ground chicken
4 small onions, finely chopped
¼ cup

Africa
Tunisia
Dinner
Supper
Main course
Yom Kippur
Breakfast
Mediterranean

Method

To make the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and knead the mixture until it holds together. Form one meatball and poach it in lightly salted water to test the seasoning. Adjust as necessary. Form the mixture into walnut-sized balls.

To make the sauce, in a large sauté pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add all the remaining ingredients and about <