This being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how different countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat.
While home to the birthplace of Jesus (Bethlehem), Christianity only accounts for about 3% of the state’s religious makeup. However, Christmas is celebrated more widely in Palestine than Israel (home to Nazareth). A traditional holiday meal is Qidreh, a lovely lamb and rice dish that has an amazing spice flavor derived from a traditional nine-spice blend. While the recipe I sourced from The Palestinian Table makes a large batch (helpful in that many of the recipes call for this aromatic spice mix) from whole spices, I have pared it down to a smaller amount made with pre-ground spices for those of you who don’t have spice grinders at home. I’ll admit though, I couldn’t find mace, so it’s technically an 8-spice blend (I just upped the nutmeg a little). While it was 60 degrees yesterday when I originally made this, I’m totally reheating this to enjoy for lunch during the big snowstorm we’re having today!
Qidreh adapted from The Palestinian Table, Reem Kassis
While the recipe calls for mastic, I couldn’t obtain it locally. However, I concocted what I feel is a suitable substitute with a combination of vanilla, juniper berries and rosemary. I also cut down on the prep time by using a pressure cooker. If you make the stock in a regular pot, increase the stock cooking time to 1 hour.
Meat/stock
3 tbsp olive oil
~4 lb bone-in leg of lamb (or about 1.75 lbs of boneless), cut into 2” chunks
1 tsp vanilla extract
3” sprig of rosemary
5 juniper berries, crushed
1 tbsp Nine-spice mix (recipe below)
½ tsp turmeric
2 bay leaves
1 onion, peeled and halved
“Nine”-spice mix
2 tbsp ground allspice
1 tbsp ground cloves
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
½ tbsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cardamom
⅛ tsp ground cumin
⅓ of a whole nutmeg, ground
Rice preparation
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
18 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp nine-spice mix (recipe above)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
2.25 cups of basmati rice, rinsed and drained
14 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Toasted pine nuts/almonds
Plain Greek-style yogurt
Prepare the nine-spice mix and reserve. Dry the lamb and season with Kosher salt.
Prepare the meat and stock. Preheat the oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat until shimmering. Add in all of the remaining ingredients, except for the lamb and onion and toast the spices/herbs for about 1 minute. Add in the lamb, stir to combine with the oil and spices and sear on all sides, increasing the heat to medium-high. Brown the meat for a few minutes.
Add 8 cups of water to the pot, along with the halved onion, and bring to a boil, removing any foam from the surface. When all of the foam is gone, close the lid on your pressure cooker and maintain high heat until the steam peg pops. Then, secure your lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes (if using a stock pot, cover and simmer for about 80 minutes). After 20 minutes, release the pressure from the pot.
Preheat the oven to 325.
While the stock develops in the pressure cooker, prepare the rice. In a medium-sized Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. When the butter melts, add in the onion with a pinch of salt and reduce the heat to low. Slowly sauté the onion for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Then, add in the spices and stir until fragrant (about a minute) and stir in the rice coating with all of the oil and spices and lightly toast.
Meanwhile, remove the meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside on a dish. Pour the stock through a strainer, reserving 4 cups.
When the rice has toasted for a minute or so, stir in the chickpeas and add in the stock. Bring to a boil. Once the pot reaches a boil, remove from the heat and place the lamb pieces on top. Cover and place in the oven and cook for an hour.
Remove from the oven and let sit in the covered pot for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the toasted nuts.
Serve in bowls with yogurt on the side.
______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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