A Middle Eastern Feast by Claudia Roden

Author:Claudia Roden [Roden, Claudia]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
ISBN: 9780141966014
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2011-04-06T16:00:00+00:00

STUFFING

500 g (1 lb) long-grain rice

2 medium-sized onions, chopped

2–3 tablespoons oil

250 g (8 oz) beef, minced

3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Salt and black pepper

120 g (4 oz) pine nuts or chopped walnuts

120 g (4 oz) small seedless black raisins (optional)

Ask the butcher to chine the meat and to cut a pouch between the skin and the ribs – or do the latter yourself with a long, sharp knife. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.

Prepare the stuffing. Wash the rice first in very hot and then in cold water, then drain well in a colander. Fry the chopped onions in oil until golden brown in a large saucepan. Add the minced beef and fry until browned. Add the rice and continue to fry for a few minutes until well coated. Sprinkle with parsley and pour in an equal volume of boiling water as you have of rice (i.e. for 2 cups of raw rice add 2 cups water). Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover the pan tightly and simmer undisturbed over low heat for 20 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender but still firm. Remove from the heat and, when cool, add the nuts and, if you wish, raisins. Sometimes the stuffing is coloured with ½ teaspoon saffron or turmeric, or perfumed with a tablespoon of orange blossom water, but I do not personally care for these additions.

Stuff the pouches with the rice mixture. Rub them with oil, salt and pepper, and roast, uncovered, in an oven preheated to 220°C (425°F/Mark 7), then reduced to 160°C (325°F/Mark 3). Roast for about 1 hour, or until the meat is well cooked and browned on the outside.

Put the apricots in a small saucepan with 1 tablespoon sugar and their soaking water. Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. By this time the apricots will be soft and the liquid reduced.

A few minutes before serving, pour off the excess fat from the roasting tin. Turn the oven up to 230°C (450°F/Mark 8). Pour the apricot sauce over the lamb and glaze in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Do not leave in the oven too long, as the apricots burn easily.

≈ Instead of being roasted, the lamb may be braised on top of the stove. It is first seared in hot fat to brown it all over, then simmered until quite tender. The apricots and their water are added after searing, and the lamb simmers with them gently for about ¾ to 1 hour. In this method, there is no need to simmer the apricots separately first. They need only be soaked.

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