[Sca-cooks] lamb recipes?

[Elaine Koogler]

Anne-Marie Rousseau wrote:
> Hi all from Anne-Marie
>
> I just received 18 lbs of homegrown lamb stew meat, and am looking for
> some inspiration...
>
> If you were going to do a stew like thing (thought I'd do it up for the
> gang at May Crown), what is your favorite? Docuemtned period recipes
> only please....
>
>   
I did a wonderful lamb stew for our Middle Eastern event:
Servings: 70

Notes: A pound and a half of meat, four ounces of prunes, half a pound 
of onions, a nsif and a rub (three quarter, sc. of a dirham) of saffron, 
two and a half ounces of raisins, four ounces of good wine vinegar, an 
ounce of jujubes, half a bunch of green mint and atraf al-tib.  The fry 
the meat with the spices, and when the meat smells good, put in the 
measure of a bowl of water, the measure of a pound and a half.  When the 
water boils, wash the onions after cutting them up.  Wash them in salted 
water and (then, in plain) water.  Then put them on that meat and leave 
them until the onions boil and are halfway fragrant.  Let the prunes be 
soaked in water.  Put them in the pot, and the raisins and jujubes after 
them.  Then let it rest until the prunes and raisins are fragrant.  If 
you wish, put three ounces of sugar on it after that.  And when it 
boils, put vinegar on it.  And when it boils much, throw in the mint and 
atraf al-tib and let it settle.
                            --Kitab Wasf al-At'ima al-Mu'tada (The 
Description of Familiar Foods)
                                trans. Charles Perry

15 pounds lamb
7 1/2 quarts water
2 5/8 pounds prunes
5 pounds onion
1/16 ounce saffron
1 1/2 pounds raisin
2 1/2 pints red wine vinegar
10 ounces jujube
6 3/4 tablespoons mint
5/8 cup mixture pepper, mace, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom
3 3/4 cups sugar

1.    Soak jujubes and prunes in water to soften.
2.    Fry the meat with 1 ½ tsp. spice mixture
3.    When browned, add water to cover and bring to a boil.
4.    Chop onion into a large dice.
5.    Add onions to meat/water mixture.
6.    When onions are halfway tender, add prunes (cut in half), raisins 
and jujubes (cut in half and seeded) and bring to a slow boil.
7.    Dissolve saffron in a little of the meat broth; add this and 
vinegar to stew.
8.    If desired, add 3 oz. sugar.
9.    Bring to a full boil and add mint and remaining spice mixture
10.    Simmer until tender.
11.    Can be served over couscous.

Of course, if you don't want to feed 70, you can cut it back!  The 
recipe is one that I redacted from al-Baghdadi.  Jujubes are Chinese 
dates and can be found in oriental markets, either dried or fresh.  If 
fresh, you don't really need to soak them.

Hope this helps!

Kiri