Season the lamb with salt and pepper. In a heavy pot, melt the 3 tb. butter over moderate heat. Add the lamb and onion, saute until browned, stirring frequently. Add the broth. Add salt as needed, cover, and simmer for half hour. Add the potato, quince, prunes, and chestnuts. Cover and simmer for half hour. Add the chick-peas and simmer, covered, 20 minutes.

Stir in the clarified butter and allow to melt before serving the soup. Note: quarter tsp. ginger or a pinch of powdered saffron dissolved in 2 tb. warm water may be added with the chick-peas, and the soup served sprinkled with 1 ts. crushed dried mint, accompanied by chopped onion and sumakh on the side. In the Caucasus, ground kyurdyuk is normally used instead of the clarified butter, and dried chick-peas* rather than canned ones. The dried chick-peas are soaked for 4-6 hours, drained, & added at the beginning with the broth. Note: Sumakh aka sumac, a spice mixture is to be found in the USA at Mid-Eastern markets.