Smoof Blog: Archives for Dec 2007

the stew

• lamb shank, de-boned, trimmed, cut into pieces
• half an onion
• mushrooms
• half a cup of lentils
• stock
• olive oil
• garlic, chopped
• turmeric
• cinnamon (ceylon), ground
• chilis de arbol, ground
• cardamom, ground

yogurt topping

• thick Greek style yogurt
• dried shallot, ground
• olive oil
• salt

Brown the bone under the broiler. Fry the onions and garlic with the spices. Fry the lamb pieces. Throw it all in a dutch oven and put it in the oven at 350 for an hour and a half.

It turned out pretty good. Maybe use leg meat next time though.

• some button mushrooms
• olive oil
• eggplant, cut into pieces
• green onions, chopped
• 2 12 oz cans of coconut mil
• 2.5 cups of chicken broth
• 2 stalks lemongrass, crushed
• 20 thin slices of galangal
• two crushed handfuls of kefir lime leaves
• 2 T fish sauce
• zest and juice of one lime
• some pepper corns
• some tiny Thai peppers. some crushed, some thinly sliced.
• cilantro.
• salt, to taste

Salt the eggplant heavily and leave it sit for a while. Squeeze it dry and rinse the salt off. Fry the mushrooms in the olive oil. Put everything in the pot (except cilantro) and simmer for 20 minutes or so. Garnish with the cilantro when you serve it. Don't eat the leaves, galangal or lemongrass.

Couscous

• 1 cup couscous
• 1 cup broth
• salt
• 1 t grains of paradise, ground
• 1/2 t cassia buds, ground

Zereshk

• 1 cup currants
• 1 t saffron
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T sugar
• a touch of turmeric
• olive oil

Steep the saffron in a little boiling water. Saute the Zereshk ingredients for a few minutes. (stolen from here) Bring the broth to a boil, combine all couscous ingredients and cover for 5 minutes or so. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and top with the Zereshk (probably not all of it) . Perhaps it's better to add the spice to the couscous after it is fluffed. I'm not sure yet which approach is optimal. Some butter in the couscous is also nice.