When your kids grow up and live their own lives, you find yourself reminiscing about your own childhood; which brings me to these memories of Iraq.
My dad,a man not inclined to vacationing, had decided to take us to Iraq; he had lived there as a bachelor, and had worked as a chief engineer in Baghdad on projects such as the Baghdad museum and parliament building; his fair Croatian good looks as well as his knowledge of Arabic had garnered him affection and lifelong friendships. He loved Iraq. It was through these friends that we were able to visit an area of Iraq known as the Marsh Lands, a very remote and unique area in the South of Iraq, known since the beginning of times as the Garden of Eden.
People there lived on water; you could not access this area by road; you had to travel by canoe, the same long and slender canoes that were depicted in 5000 year-old cylinder seals, cutting through the reed here and there, passing by water buffaloes and staring at wild birds and fowl in the sky.
We slept in one of those reed houses (fighting off cockroaches at night) and one night were treated to a feast organized by the sheikh of the tribe. Sitting on rugs we enjoyed huge platters of a rice biryani, roasted wild ducks hunted that day, this stuffed potato dish, and masgouf , the famous Iraqi dish of grilled fish, eating all with bread (no utensils), from communal platters.
We met people who had the innocence and generosity one only encounters in those who live precarious lives of extreme poverty. One of the boys, Ali, wanted to show us his treasure: He produced a small dinged up transistor radio with a cassette player and soon, in the middle of the Marshes, hundreds of kilometers from Baghdad, we were listening to Rock’n'Roll music with some merry Marsh Arab boys.
Did we know at the time that their life and lifestyle were in mortal danger? That a few years later they would be decimated? It just did not seem possible that a people who lived such a primitive existence, so far from modern civilization, could be considered a threat to anyone.
OK. What about this Iraqi dish?
It consists of potatoes, cooked and mashed and stuffed with a minced meat (or bean) mixture, with tomatoes and onions.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds starchy potatoes
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup of cornstarch or flour
- salt, white pepper
- oil for frying or olive oil or butter for baking
- extra flour if frying
Meat Filling:
- 1 large onion
- 1 pound ground beef
- spices: black pepper, cinnamon, ground coriander, pinch of cloves, nutmeg, paprika and cardamom
- 1 cup of peeled and diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup of chopped parsley
- salt, to taste
- olive oil
Vegetable filling:
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 cup of tomatoes, peeled and diced
- Spices: 2 garlic cloves, a few sprigs of parsley, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg.
- 2 Tablespoons of hot red pepper paste
METHOD:
- Boil and cook the potatoes; mash then blend with the egg, salt, pepper and cornstarch.
- Heat some oil and fry the onion till translucent; add the minced meat, spices and cook for 15 minutes until browned; add the tomatoes, cook 10 minutes longer, stir in the parsley. Set aside.
- Place in the palm of your hand about 1/4 cup of potato, flatten it and place on top of it a couple of teaspoons of meat or vegetable filling; enclose completely. (I used the globe molds to save time and effort)
- If frying, heat the oil to 375F and dip the potatoes in flour right before frying; if baking, brush with some olive oil or melted butter and bake for 15 minutes in a 375F oven. Serve hot, piled on a plate.
Recipe from The Complete Middle East Cookbook by Tess Mallos
If interested in the Marsh Arabs, check out Sir Wilfred Thesiger, a British explorer, who lived amongst them and wrote a book about it.
86 Comments
Very interesting name,looks too good…
Moving and poignant Joumana – thanks for sharing this story. It’s a wonderful post.
A touching story. We often forget there are individuals and families and traditions behind all the news stories we hear. The recipe looks wonderful – I’d like to try both the meat and the vegetable filling.
Thankfully, you got to Iraq to see the beauty there – and in the simple people. I can completely relate as that is how much of Serbia is. Not quite so primitive, but very poor and very much a step back in time… and they have been invaded about every 100 years. Yes, GB did a number on Iraq. There is no doubt about it – such a tragedy to see what has happened there. And I have no idea what Iraqi cuisine is like, so thanks for the intro!
Valerie
Wow. Stunning photos and very well written. I was fascinated.
Un récit très interessant…à méditer.. et pour être plus léger, une recette à tester vraiment, le genre de plat que j’affectionne..
Pour ton commentaire sur Chypre, je te souhaite d’y retourner dans de bien meilleures conditions que la dernière fois hélas, c’est vraiment à découvrir..je me souviens bien de cette période, ma voisine libanaise avait sa maman au Liban et était très anxieuse de tout ce qui s’y passait..
You are the master of showcasing interesting yet delicious dishes. My mind and heart are touched by your story while my stomach is touched by the dish.
Joumana, I love anything that involve stuffing like your potato here. It looks so tempting, mouth watering dish.
I am going to make this and when I do I am going to remember the beautiful story you have just shared with us! Thank you!
hmm..its very well written…that feast made my mouth watering…lucky you….Potato Globe with meat sounds interesting and delicious…thanks for sharing this!
Bonjour,
J’adore l’aubergine, c”est l’un de mes légumes préférés avec la tomate. Ta recette est très goûteuse et me tente beaucoup avec l’aubergine sur une galette de pain et le fromage. Une bonne dégustation à l’apéritif…
Merci pour ces jolies photos, je découvre un pays que je ne connais pas du tout. Ces maisons sur l’eau c’est magnifique.
… J’aimerais aussi pouvoir caresser un pélican …..
…. Oui on peut confectionner sa pâte à pistache “maison”. Je vais d’ailleurs essayer d’en faire lorsque je serais moins débordée. (Tu peux trouver des recettes sur le site de Pascale Weeks – Site “C’est moi qui l’ai fait”)
Très bonne soirée,
A bientôt,
Patricia – La Table de Pénélope
The desire for oil and strategic base locations produces ideological distortions and atrocities. Unfortunately Iraqis suffered a lot in their country, after and before the invasion.
The Marshlands, home of the sacred Ibis, were almost drained by Saddam Houssein during the 1990s- since the marshes had turned out to be a perfect place for the rebels to hide. It was one of the biggest engineered environmental disaster of the last century. The government gave 3 days to the local residents to get out the area. You can imagine what happened…
In May 2003 the re-flooding began and the Ma’dan worked to restore the marshes. But though the land of Ur has a future again, it will never be what it once was. The recovery of the ecosystem has yet to be fully assessed, many reflooded areas remain barren. I’ve also heard that oil has been discovered and this is very, very bad.
My this looks like such a delicious dish! I am going to have to try it!
Great Post, What a mouth watering dish!! Love the pictures!!
Love this post! We have a similar dish in Colombia “Papa Rellena” Stuffed potato.But we fry the stuffed potato, yours looks healthy and delicious. I would love to try this version.
Joumana, this is such a moving post. I loved it. I love how you described generosity and simplicity of the Marsh dwellers. These type of people are the kindest and most sincere.
The Batata charp looks fantastic. My husband loves a Pakistani dish called aaloo keema, which is stewed ground beef with potatoes, I am sure he will love this too. I will be making this soon!
Très jolies photos d’un pays que tu me fais découvrir !
Je te souhaite une très bonne soirée,
Bisous, Doria
A marvelous dish, Joumana…and certainly easily translatable in our kitchens. This was a touching post and how lovely you were able to see the Marsh Lands and its’ people. Thank you for sharing it with us.
(I might suggest Candian Foodie read History of Greek Food’s comment about what really happened to these innocent people.)
Oh wow. That is an amazing story, and so very tragic and sad. It’s incredibly lucky that you are able to share this memory, and this wonderful food.
I love the way that this dish is prepared…so interesting! I usually the fill the mashed potatoes with the ground meat…like the idea of the little molds
By the way, nice post!
Those are so cute! They’re like little cups o’ beef. And how wonderful you got to know a culture before the modern world erased it.
de magnifiques photos c’est triste de voir un tel paysage détruit sous des tirs de mortiers ….bref
je trouve ces pommes de terre très original et superbement présentées
bonne soirée
Lovely dish, and a lovely and poignant story. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Lucky that you were fortunate to experience this before it was affected by modern times and politics. These are very simlar to our meat pies. I guess every culture has one. Love how these are made tho, with the mold. I will have to try this potato crust next time I make something along these lines.
What a moving story. Thanks for sharing this with us. I wonder if the Garden of Eden still exists in that same pristine habitat??? I hate to think.
Oh Joumana, this dish is beautiful, but it’s your photos that have gripped me. I ache so much for people around the world who suffer terribly for no reason other than where they were born. I’m so glad you have such good memories of your time there.
These look so good- formed so perfectly.
Its tragic when innocent lives are taken. And for what? the bottom line is greed, power adn control. Since the beginning of time and forever more it seems. When my kids are arguing, I say “Cant we all just get along?” Wouldnt that be nice. We can dream right? Its such a beautiful thing when people who are different can respect each others differences.
A very interesting , touching story, A great post Joumana
This dish is very similar to the Lebanese Kibbee Batata , without the tomatoes, but i like the individual serving .
Are you getting ready for your move??? or plans changed.
I am very busy the Market is this weekend, plus catering orders, and now have couple of families asking for weekly meals…
Take care.
Hola,
ЎGracias por el artнculo. Cada vez que quieres leer.
Boldy
Your post touched me. Thank you for sharing these beautiful people and their culture with us. Love the dish too.
oh my what a mess I made..followed the recipe to the T and couldnt not mold/shape them..they would just fall apart..added more flour ..still no luck. I ended up using the filling for Hashweh riz ma snobar.. will stick with Kibbeh Batata alot easier..How did u get this recipe too work???and I am not a novice in the kitchen,,,
@Samir: It could be the type of potatoes that you used: in the US the potatoes I used are Russet, very starchy! Did you use the same silicone mold? I will try it again without a mold and see if it works and let you know.
@Samir: I will do some research and see if I can figure out where the glitch is. I think it is in the type of potatoes.
Here is another recipe for you http://shahiya.com/english/recipes/batata-sharp-potato-with-meat-filling-291
ps ..the book you adapted this recipe from is excellent, well written very authentic recipes…and usually very precise, but this one???
thank you..it was one of those moments in the kitchen that gets you so frustrated…I used white potatoes also starchy….let me know what comes of your research…
Excellentissime cette recette !!! Très jolie, originale et savoureuse, j’ adore ta cuisine qui est joyeuse et vivante et sans complexe, bravo…
What an amazing story. The reed houses are so intricate! I can only imagine how this experience must have impacted you.
I ate Masgouf in Iraq in 2007 (even if it was in the Green Zone) and enjoyed some stuffed onions unlike anything I had ever eaten in the Arab world. I would love to try this dish with the meat filling. Those spices sound wonderful.
21 Trackbacks
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe wіtһ meat οr bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) FDA Admits Cloned Meat, Milk May Have Already Entered Food SupplyMeat Production Systems for Grass Fed Cattle, Sheep and GoatsThe Cove, Ric O'Barry, Dolphin Meat, Mercury Poisoning, Taiji …RED MEAT – COLON CANCER? ? | food made of meat,recipes,prime meatBuffalo Bills Dead Meat Beef Jerky Backpack CoolerMeat Loaf Delivers Advice for Authors – mediabistro.com: GalleyCat View the Contact Powered by Mobile [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe wіtһ meat οr bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe wіtһ meat οr bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe wіtһ meat οr bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] Potato Globe with meat or bean stuffing (Batata charp) [...]
[...] I wrote a post on our family trip to Iraq and the Marsh Lands about a year ago and included a recipe for a traditional Iraqi dish, batata charp. [...]