Roast Lamb with Rice, Ground Meat, and Nuts

Name: Roast Lamb with Rice, Ground Meat, and Nuts
Yield: serves 6 to 8
Ingredients: 1 leg of lamb (weighing about 5 pounds) or 2 shoulders; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom; Salt and black pepper; 2 tablespoons sunflower oil; 1 onion, cut in quarters; 1 head of garlic, cut in half; 2 1/2 cups basmati or long-grain rice; 1 large onion, chopped; 3 tablespoons sunflower oil; 1/2 pound ground beef; Salt and black pepper; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves; 4 1/4 cups lamb or chicken stock (use 2 bouillon cubes); 1/3 cup sliced almonds; 1/3 cup pistachios; 1/3 cup pine nuts

December 9, 2011

A central part of every grand Arab feast is lamb—shoulder or leg—cooked à la cuillère (to such tenderness that you can eat it “with a spoon”), accompanied by rice with ground meat and nuts. This recipe comes from the caterer Nazira Bitar, who is the queen of wedding cakes all over the Arab world. She prepared a banquet in Stockholm that was hosted by the King of Jordan for King Carl Gustav and Queen Silvia.

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