Abgoosht (Dizi): Persian beef, chickpea and potato broth

Ingredients and method

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds meaty bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed of excess outside fat
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 5 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 US cups water to start, plus extra hot water as needed to retain broth for serving
• 2 1/2 US cups fully cooked plain chickpeas, drained and rinsed (roughly two 15-ounce cans; measure the drained amount)
• 12 ounces russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 medium Roma tomatoes, rinsed and halved
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon plain tomato paste
• 3 whole dried Persian limes (limoo amani)
• 5 ounces fresh small okra, trimmed, optional
• 1/2 US cup diced green bell pepper, optional
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt to start, with more only at the end after tasting
• Plain fresh flatbread such as lavash or pita, torn into small pieces at serving

Method

1. Trim excess outside fat from the short ribs. Prepare the washed vegetables on a separate board from raw meat, then wash hands and clean raw-meat utensils. Keep the rib bones intact; do not cut or smash them at home.
2. Put the ribs, onion, garlic, turmeric, pepper and 2 1/2 cups water in a heavy Dutch oven just large enough to hold them comfortably. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook until the meat releases readily from the bones and yields easily to a fork, starting to check after 90 minutes and allowing 2 hours or longer if needed. Check occasionally and add hot water if evaporation threatens to dry the pot.
3. Carefully lift and remove any loose bones once the ribs are cooked enough to handle; check for small bone fragments before serving. Keep the tender meat and cooking liquid together in the same pot. Do not discard the broth: it is the part used for tileet.
4. Near the end of the beef cooking time, soak the whole dried limes in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and let them cool enough to handle. Rest each lime on a stable board and carefully pierce with a fork, keeping your other hand clear of the tines. Stir the tomato paste into the beef broth, then add the cooked chickpeas, potatoes, tomatoes, salt, prepared limes and any optional okra and green pepper.
5. Bring back to a boil, cover and reduce to a gentle simmer for about an hour, checking from 40 minutes. The potato centers must be soft and the vegetables and chickpeas hot throughout. Keep some broth around the solids, adding hot water when needed. If you add water near the end, simmer another 10 minutes to combine the flavors. Remove the whole limes before serving; remove them earlier if the broth has enough lime flavor.
6. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat, chickpeas and vegetables to a warm serving bowl. Taste the remaining hot broth carefully, adding a little salt if needed. Place small pieces of flatbread in individual bowls and ladle just enough broth over each to soak the bread: this is tileet.
7. Serve the hot solids beside the bread-and-broth bowls. To make a mashed version, inspect the solids again for bones and lime pieces, then mash the tender beef, chickpeas and potatoes with a potato masher. Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F; do not leave the Dutch oven out to cool overnight.