Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large sauté pan. Add the chopped onion and sauté until onion is translucent. Add the meat, salt, and pepper, and sauté over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is crispy and well browned.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the celery and the garlic. Mix well and set aside to cool. The filling can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator.
To make the soup, cut off the dark green part of the leeks and use only the white and light green parts. Cut the leeks lengthwise, then rinse under running water to remove all dirt and sand, inside and out. Slice the leeks into ½ inch strips.
In a large soup pot, heat the oil and sauté the onions.
Add the celery, Swiss chard, leeks, and garlic and sweat to extract the flavors of the veggies.
Add stock or water and spices and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer on medium low heat for about 30 minutes.
While soup is simmering, make the Kubbeh dumplings following the picture step by step recipe in my blog. Once done, you’ll have a tiny adjustment to make for the hamousta recipe. The shape of the kubbeh is slightly different. After you’ve created perfect balls, place each ball between the palms of your hands and slightly press to flatten it.
Very gently, add the kubbeh dumplings to the soup, moving them gently occasionally, using a wooden spoon, to make room for more kubbeh dumplings to be added. Once you have all the dumplings in the soup, cover the pot and simmer for 45 minutes.