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Title: Koobe Chamusta (Friday Lunch Dumplings in Sou
Categories: Jewish Kurdistan Israel Soup Beef
Yield: 5 Servings

SOUP
1lg(1/2 lb) leek
2tbCorn oil
1cCelery, fine-chopped
1md(1 cup) onion, chopped
5 Cloves garlic, chopped fine
6cTo 7 cups water
1/4tsSalt
1tbLemon juice
FILLING
2tbCorn oil
1/4lbBoneless beef chuck, cut into 1/2-in cubes
1/2cCelery, fine-chopped
3 Cloves garlic, chopped fine
DOUGH
3cJareesha, med-fine bulghur
2cCream of wheat or farina
1cWater
1tsSalt

This dish is prepared & served on Friday lunch before the Sabbath. On Friday evening dinner, beginning of Sabbath, there is generally another menu that often includes another dumpling & soup preparation.

Koobe are finest of Kurdistan dishes & there are several of them. They are an indispensable selection for family dinners. The Chamusta-style koobe is cooked in a richly endowed soup of celery, leek, garlic, & lemon juice, with meat broth. The koobe itself is always solid, dense, & filling. The shell of koobe is a complete wheat product of bulghur & farina, supermarket breakfast food called cream of wheat, which is a fine-ground semolina.

1. Cut leek lengthwise into halves; trim off root end & about 3 inches of green leaves. Separate all of leaves, & soak them in cold water for 10 minutes, rinsing them carefully to remove the soil that has accumulated. Drain. Cut leaves & stems into 4-inch pieces. Set aside.

2. Heat in oil in a large pan, add leek, celery, onion, & garlic & stir-fry over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Add water & bring to a boil, then add salt & lemon juice. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

3. To make filling, heat oil in a skillet & stir-fry the over moderate heat until it starts to brown, about 10 minutes. Cool. Coarsely chopped in a processor, adding celery & garlic at the last moment to mix together.

4. Mix jareesha & cream of wheat/farina together. Add water & salt, & well into a moist but firm dough that can be easily handled.

5. Take abt 1/3 cup dumpling (koobe) dough & roll it in a ball w/ palms of wet hands. Push a deep depression into ball w/thumb & add 1 heaping ts filling. Close the hole &, pressing firmly, flatten ball out into a disc 3-inches in diameter -- a little higher in center & thinner at edges. Prepare all dumplings this way & set aside. Makes about 10 koobe.

6. Drop koobe into simmering soup one at a time & cook over moderate heat for 20 minutes. Add 1 cup of water if too much liquid has evaporated. There should be enough of this green, lemon-flavored soup to serve 5 persons, with 2 koobe for each. Serve warm. Serves 5 or even 6.

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

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