Dawoud Pash are small meatballs with a pine nut in the centre cooked in a tomato sauce with the addition of cumin which gives this dish a middle eastern flavour. Named after Dawoud Pasha, ruler of Iraq during the Ottoman empire who apparently, loved to eat them. This is an Iraqi recipe that I have taken from Lamees Ibrahim’s book. I had been to Books for Cooks just before Christmas to look for any new Greek cookery books and The Iraqi cookbook caught my eye as I was leaving. It was sitting strategically on the table by the door, the beautiful food photography on the cover enticed me to pick up the book and have a look through. As I can no longer justify buying any more books I did say with some conviction that this was a book I would love to receive as a Christmas present. I might have gone on to repeat myself somewhat later on. I have learnt pester power works!
The addition of the cumin to the sauce is what makes this dish middle eastern. Although a delicate dish, there is a curry element to the flavour but without any of the heat. The flavour of the lamb is still there and every now and then you find yourself biting into a pine nut which is quite satisfying, a bit like winning at the lucky dip or finding the coin in the Christmas pudding. Even though I had carefully placed a pine nut in each ball I did notice when cooking a few of them escaped.
The Iraqi Cookbook has been traveling around with me since Christmas allowing me to dip into it and muse at which recipe I will try first. As with a lot of things in life I didn’t plan on making Dawoud Pasha. It was Sunday morning and as I looked into the fridge all that was there as any real basis for a meal was one pound of lamb mince. The usual thoughts of Keftedes, or Italian meatballs crossed my mind but I desired something different, something new. Then I remembered a recipe I had glanced at in The Iraqi Cookbook – Dawoud Pasha. I had all the ingredients in the cupboard and the recipe seemed straight forward and easy to follow.
The first unusual thing about making these meatballs is that an egg isn’t used to bind the mixture just a little water. The second being that flour was kneaded into the meat, usually I dust the meatballs in the flour not mix it in. The one thing I did learn was that by kneading the meat with a little water, it begins to change texture, it becomes more fluid and manageable. There are no instructions about the adding of the water except to add as and when needed. I added a large tablespoon of warm water instead of cold because I felt cold would tighten up any fat in the meat and would not help in the binding.
I didn’t have any fresh tomatoes so instead used a tin and strengthened the taste with a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste.
This is a very easy recipe to make and follow and I enjoyed sitting at the kitchen table making the little meatballs the size of walnuts, remembering to place a little pine nut in the centre. Like a squirrel burying its nuts for winter!
Dawoud Pasha
Makes 23 meatballs
Ingredients
500g/1lb lamb mince meat
1 clove garlic crushed
2 tbs plain flour
1 onion chopped
1 tablespoon oil
1 tin of tomatoes
2 tbs tomato paste
water
pine nuts
salt and pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
Method
In a frying pan over a low heat dry roast the pine nuts until light brown in colour. As the pan gets hot take it off the heat and tip the pan, rolling the pine nuts back and forth allows them to still colour just from the heat of the pan. Place on a plate to cool.
In a bowl mix the lamb mince with the crushed garlic and the 2 tbs of flour. Season. Using your hands start to knead the meat adding a little warm water, a large tablespoon at a time. The meat will become more pliable.
To make the meatballs take an amount the size of a walnut and roll in your hands to create a ball. With your thumb push down and add a single pine nut. Roll again into a ball and set aside onto a plate. Continue until all the meat is used up.
Place some oil in a pan and fry the meatballs in small batches until all are browned. Place on some kitchen paper when cooked.
In a saucepan add a little oil and fry the chopped onions until softened. Add the tin of tomatoes filling the tin with water and adding this too, tomato paste and cumin. Season and bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. As the tinned tomatoes do not break down as easily as fresh I used a hand held blender to break them up. Add the meatballs and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Serve with simple white rice.
Maria Dernikos 
Oh Maria, these look delicious indeed, and so comforting! Pine nuts make it such a special treat. Meatballs without egg and using flour as a binder are indeed traditional in Iraq, that’s how I make my “sparrow head”-sized meatballs which I use in Iraqi soups.
I always thought Daoud Pacha was a Lebanese recipe, at least…the Lebanese claim it is! Many Lebanese recipes have travelled to Iraq during the 20th century, so it is quite possible that this recipe has been adopted by the Iraqis as theirs nowadays. I love recipes with a history and will look into it.
Would you recommend this book? I have read mixed reviews about it, but if you think it is a good book, I will definitely consider acquiring it!
According to Lamees Ibrahim this recipe dates back to the 13th century. I have not been able to find very much about it, other than there are many versions – as you say!
Someone once said that you are doing well if you can get three usable recipes out of a cookery book. I would say there probably is more than three in this book. I am very pleased with the book and it is a really good read. The trouble is there are not that many books on the subject.
I have also just been onto Amazon to see what reviews it has received. I would agree that there could be a little more detail in some of the recipes. As a book on Iraqi cooking I would recommend it as a detailed encyclopedia on Iraqi cookery then perhaps its not what you are looking for.
Thank you for your detailed answer, Maria. I am interested in acquiring an alternative to my “detailed encyclopedia” on Iraqi cooking and culinary history (Nasrallah’s “Delights from the Garden of Eden”), which is excellent, but I would like to be able to compare recipes from different books.
As to Daoud Pacha, the Lebanese claim it is named after a 19th century Armenian governor of the Lebanese territory of the Ottoman empire, but that doesn’t mean the recipe isn’t much older!
In any case, this is all really interesting, and I am enjoying reading different sites on the history of “Dawoud Pasha” !
As I said in the post the book caught my eye, I wasn’t looking for an Iraqi cookbook but, I am now interested in Delights from the Garden of Eden. I have put it on my wish list. I have tried to cross reference some of the recipes in TIC but found the names had been changed making it difficult. I am also noticing this in Greek recipes, in the race to claim a recipe as totally theirs, names are invented and ingredients are added to make it unique to the writer. I am not saying that this is the case with TIC. I believe Lamees lives in London. I would love to ask her more about her cooking and her research.
Do love your line about pester power works!
I’m relatively new to meatballs, so it’s good to know of a differing way of mixing them without egg. I’d never heard of that method before. And I love lamb with cumin.
I have seen the results the dog gets from his pester power and learned! As to the mixing without an egg – me neither but it works – I think its the kneading and warm water. Good to know if you don’t have an egg for other recipes.
It’s a personal favorite for me, first time I tried it was in Amman , Jordan.i had done so many times at home since then! I never tried it with Pune nuts though, it must taste great
The pine nuts I think add a little something – a bit like pine roulette! The pine nut doesn’t always stay in while cooking, but a lovely dish.
I just love the way you write, no offence to the food which is also excellent!
Thank you for the kind comment it is very graciously accepted.
Love the idea of the pine nuts in the middle and the cumin flavouring. Deliciously simple recipe. I haven’t been to Books for Cooks for about 25 years…such good memories.
As you will know its still there. I got my first Martha Stewart book in 1985 from there before she was even heard of in England. Time passes by too quickly.
Viva pester power! Really enjoyed reading about the cookbook and its travels with you (hee hee) and very much like these yummy looking meatballs and their story!
These are unlike any meatballs I’ve tried, Maria, but, then again, I’ve not had any Iraqi dishes — that I know of. I must say, though, that I like the idea of using cumin in the meat mixture, as well as hiding a roasted pine nut in the center. 🙂
The cumin does set this meatball recipe apart and without the heat. Any recipe that allows me to sit at the kitchen table has my vote. Perhaps it is a way of playing with my food! because when it’s on the plate I am too busy woofing it down.
Wow, Maria. I’d love to look through and Iraqi cookbook. I like when you do meatballs. Interesting how there’s no egg as a binding agent and that flour goes directly in. No breadcrumbs either. I always associate cumin and pine nuts with a middle eastern dish. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
Thanks for the kind comment. I think we tend to rely on kitchen gadgets to do too much for us sometimes, I use my Kenwood Chef way too much. I went by the recipe and used my hands and realised I would have missed the change in the mixture had I used a gadget. Your comment of no bread crumbs is right it made me think this isn’t going to stretch to two meals. In fact I think because the meatballs are so small (walnut size) the meat goes far! If you get what I am trying to say. The book is worth a look if you get a chance.
Meatballs are all time favorites in every culture and cuisine. The sky is the limit in how they are made. My mother never used eggs (nor flour) to make meatballs. Binding ingredient she used was the grated onion and through kneading. Traditional Chinese pot-stickers have the same idea as the one presented here. Meat, vegetables and dissolved potato-starch are really kneaded well together, small balls are made before wrapped in the dough wrappers. This dish is so special because of the roasted/fried pine-nuts used. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the original recipe, cumin seeds are used instead of ground.
This sounds like a delicious recipe to try as it is so different from the usual meatballs that I make. I’m glad that pestering worked so that you could share this recipe with us. 🙂
Ha! yes pester power has come late to me in life! but works a treat.
Lovely post, Maria! A few years ago, I went to a cooking class in Italy and the chefs were making meatballs without using eggs as a binding ingredient and the ground beef was already cooked. I thought it was a very innovative way to make meatballs. I’m really intrigued by the pine nuts in this recipe.
Thank you Francesca, I have to say not all the pine nuts stayed in the centre but it was fun when you found one.