Persian Golden Meatballs: Rosh Hashanah Dish from 'Come Eat With Me' Winner

Oshrit Navra, winner of the Israeli reality cooking show 'Come Eat With Me,' shared her recipe for Khofta Alou, a festive Persian dish perfect for Rosh Hashanah. This traditional stew features succulent meatballs simmered with fresh and dried fruits, saffron, and a rich sauce made from caramelized onions, barberries (zereshk), and dried mint.

The slow cooking process tenderizes the meat, creating a melt-in-your-mouth texture and an intoxicating aroma. The dish achieves a delightful balance of subtle tartness and deep sweetness, with the caramelized onions and fruits adding a caramel-like sweetness to every bite.

Navra's recipe includes ingredients for the meatballs, such as ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley, egg, and spices. The sauce requires plums (fresh and dried), onions, barberries or unsweetened cranberries, tomato paste, garlic, dried mint, saffron, bay leaves, allspice, and Persian lemons.

The preparation involves forming and browning the meatballs before sautéing the sauce ingredients in the same oil. The plums are caramelized, and then the dried fruits, tomato paste, garlic, and mint are added. The browned meatballs are returned to the pot along with saffron water, bay leaves, Persian lemons, allspice, water, salt, and pepper. The stew is then simmered for 40 minutes on low heat and is best served over rice.