Recipe - Ras Asfour (Lentil Soup)

1 One half cup Yellow or orange lentils
(go through them and pick
out stones)
One half pound Choice ground beef
1/3 cup Chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Salt
One fourth teaspoon Pepper
2 teaspoon Olive oil
1 Onion, cut or sliced up
One half cup Shaarla, or vermicelli
broken into pieces
1/3 cup Lemon juice

Suhour ("the meal before sunrise") is usually good, sticktoyourribs
food.

Rinse lentils and drain, picking out any discolored ones. Combine
with 56 cups water in a large kettle and bring to a boil. Lower heat
and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming off foam as it forms on top.

While the lentils are cooking, combine ground meat with parsley, salt
and pepper. Using about a tablespoon of the meal mixture for each,
form into small meatballs and chill until needed.

Heat the olive oil and saute the onion until soft and golden. Reserve.
When lentils are soft, mash them with the back of a spoon to thicken
the soup. Add shaarla (or vermicelli) and meatballs. Cook 1015
minutes longer, until meatballs are cooked through. To serve, divide
onion slices among 6 bowls. Stir lemon juice into soup and ladle over
onions.

Makes 68 servings.

From Tuscon area newspapers, 1994, 3rd quarter, courtest Mike Orchekowski.
File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/tn94q3.zip