SC - OT - stuffed camel

[Nanna Rögnvaldardóttir]

Helen wrote:

>>Then she gives a recipe for
>>Quozi mahshi - a whole lamb
>
>I would love to see this recipe!


Quozi mahshi - Stuffed Roast Lamb
(from Traditional Arabic Cooking by Miriam Al Hashimi)

Serves 25

20-25 lb (10-12 kg) lamb
8 tbps lemon juice
8 cloves garlic, crushed
10 cups long-grain rice
4 large onions, finely chopped
1 cup almonds or cashews
1/2 cup pistachios
1/2 cup pine nuts
4 tbps baharat
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp saffron threads
1/2 cup rose water (optional)
8 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup oil
salt

Rub the cleaned lamb with 3 tbps baharat, 2 tsp turmeric, garlic, lemon
juice, salt and 1/2 cup oil. Cover and leave overnight to marinate. Soak the
saffron in rose water for 10 minutes. Wash and drain the rice. To make the
stuffing, sauté the onions in the remaining oil. Add 1 tbsp baharat, salt
and the rice for a further 2 minutes. Add the water and bring to the boil,
stirring occasionally. Blanch the almonds to remove the skins. Add the nuts
and saffron rose water. Cover thigthly and leave to stand until the liquid
has been absorbed. Stuff the cavity of the lamb with the rice filling. Sew
up the opening with strong thread. Grill over charcoal for 5-7 hours, or
roast in a moderate oven until tender, basting occasionally with marinade.
The lamb may be covered to prevent dryness. Serve the lamb on a large tray
or platter, surrounded with the rice stuffing. (Traditionally the succulent
meat is served by pulling off pieces, but it can equally well be carved.)

*baharat - Arab spice blend, can vary very widely. The one recommended in
the book has 6 tbsps black peppercorns, 3 tbsps coriander seeds, 3 tbsps
cinnamon or cassia, 3 tbsps cloves, 4 tbsps cumin, 2 tsps cardamom, 3 tbsps
nutmeg, 6 tbsps paprika - all ground or grated, then mixed well and stored
in an airtight container.

Claudia Roden also has a recipe in her A Book of Middle Eastern Food but
that is a smaller lamb (or goat) - it is rubbed with onion juice, coriander
and ginger, and stuffed with rice, onions, saffron, almonds,
pistachio nuts, walnuts, and raisins - this one is roasted in the oven for
about 2 hours, or barbecued.

And - I had overlooked this - maybe here is the origin of the stuffed camel
stories - Roden says: "The lamb can also be boned before it is stuffed. I
have seen baby lambs served at weddings, made to look like miniature camels,
their boneless backs shaped into a hump."

Nanna

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