Persian Pomegranate Soup with Meatballs

• 1 pound lean ground lamb
• 2 medium onions, grated on the coarse holes of a box grater
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup long-grain rice, such as basmati, Texmati or Thai jasmine, rinsed
• 2 cups sour pomegranate juice
• 1/4 pound fresh spinach, large stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch strips
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons dried spearmint
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• Warm pita bread, for serving

1. In a large bowl, combine the lamb with the onions, cinnamon, allspice and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
2. Mix well with your hands.
3. Roll teaspoons of the meat mixture into firm balls and place on a lightly oiled platter; you will have about 50 meatballs.
4. Pour 10 cups of cold water into a large saucepan.
5. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil.
6. Stir in the rice and return to a boil.
7. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the sour pomegranate juice, spinach, parsley, sugar and the meatballs and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer, partially covered, until the rice is tender and the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
10. Rub the mint between your fingers to form a fine powder.
11. In a small bowl, combine the mint with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
12. Ladle the soup into large bowls and top with a generous sprinkling of the mint mixture.
13. Serve the remainder on the side, along with the lime wedges and pita bread.

lean ground lamb, onions, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, salt, longgrain rice, pomegranate juice, fresh spinach, parsley, sugar, dried spearmint, pita bread

Taken from www.foodandwine.com/recipes/persian-pomegranate-soup-with-meatballs (may not work)