Title: Mazeera Koobe (Cream Soup with Dumplings)
Categories: Jewish Kurdistan Israel Soup Cheese
Yield: 6 Servings

SOUP
1	lb	Farmer cheese
1/2	lb	Whipped cream cheese
1/4	lb	Regular cream cheese
7	c	Water
1	ts	Salt, or to taste
1	tb	Corn oil (optional)
2/3	c	Raw rice, well rinsed
DUMPLINGS
2	c	Farina
1	tb	Corn oil
1/2	c	Water or enough to prepare a malleable dough
1/2	lb	Cream cheese

Dairy foods have an importance in Jewish cooking in both religious observances & climatic considerations. Shavuoth is a holiday when meat is frequently omitted from menus & replaced with diary dishes that have substance & culinary interest. The mazeera is one example of such a dish; it is especially popular during hot summer day.

1. Combine cheeses for soup & mix well with 1 c water. Add balance of water, salt & oil, if desired & bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 10 mins.

2. Mix farina, oil, & water together to prepare a koobe dough that can handled & will hold together. Take 1 heaping Tb of dough & roll it into a ball. Push a 1-inch deep depression into the ball & fill it with 1/2 teaspoon cream cheese. Close dough around the cheese & again roll it into a ball. Press ball down into a slightly flattened disc about 1/2-inch thick. Use all dough in this way.

3. Add rice to simmering soup & let it cook for 10 minutes, stirring now & then to prevent its sticking to bottom of pan. Add dumplings (koobe) one by one, & let them simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, which should be long enough to cook rice & dumplings.

Cool soup & refrigerate it for several hours. Serve cold. Serves 6, with 2 dumplings each.

Recipe: "Sephardic Cooking" by Copeland Mark -- 600 Recipes Created in Exotic Sephardic Kitchens from Morocco to India -- Copyright 1992 Published by Donald I. Fine, Inc., New York, N.Y. D. Pileggi

previous

next