This lamb, green bean, and tomato soup-stew, known as fasoulia in the home of my childhood, was the by-product of a regular event: my father dissecting a leg of lamb into its parts, from the most highly treasured, neatly cubed pieces for shish kebab to the fattier but still tender parts for grinding into sausage. A sidebar of the ritual was putting the bone and all the gristly bits into a pot, covering them with water, and gently simmering them into a broth for fasoulia. Even though the dish was a by-product of making shish kebab, it enjoyed a humble stature on our dinner table. These days when I desire a taste of lamb home cooking and am not deconstructing a leg of lamb, I use a bit of purchased ground lamb for meatballs. The green beans are key here, and though I usually turn up my nose at frozen vegetables, I make an exception for fasoulia, so that it can be enjoyed throughout the year. I find this soup-stew doesn’t need anything in the way of a side dish. A slice of bread, a spoon, and family company suffice, but Armenians would include pilaf on the side.
Ingredients
serves 4 to 6
Meatballs
Soup
Step 1
To make the sausage, combine the bulgur and water in a large bowl and let soak until the bulgur is slightly softened, about 30 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and beat with an electric mixer on high speed or process in a food processor until the mixture is smooth and pasty, about 5 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 1 hour or up to several hours.
Step 2
To make the soup, form the sausage into 3/4-inch balls. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, add the meatballs and brown all around, 3 to 4 minutes, transferring them to a plate as they are ready.
Step 3
When all the meatballs are browned, stir the onion and garlic into the fat remaining in the pot and sauté briefly over medium-high until the onion is wilted. Return the meatballs to the pot, add the tomatoes, oregano, paprika, salt, tomato paste, green beans, and water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a brisk simmer, cover, and cook until the tomatoes are soft and the green beans are completely tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
Step 4
Remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes before serving with the baguette slices on the side.
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