This is the quintessential comfort dish, which can be served  with rice or  bulgur (coarse bulgur) or  roasted green wheat (freekeh).

Lamb shanks and chickpeas are  slowly simmered in a lightly spiced broth; rice is then cooked in that broth with pearl onions.

I added some craisins and nuts  to make it more festive.

It is served with a bowl of yogurt on the side.

It can be prepared ahead, which makes it ideal for a party. It can also be made simply with lamb pieces, minus the bones; bones however add flavor to the broth and by extension to the rice.

INGREDIENTS: 8 servings

• 1 1/2 pound of lamb shanks, either with the bone or boneless (adding bones to the dish gives more flavor to the broth)
• 1 pound of pearl or cibollini onions
• 1 Large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups of basmati or long-grain rice
• Spices: 1 tablespoon of cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper (can substitute 1 1/2 teaspoon of seven-spice, 1 teaspoon of allspice, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon)
• 1 can of chickpeas (or 1/2 cup of dry chickpeas, soaked in water overnight with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda)
• 1/2 cup of craisins (optional)
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts (optional)
• 1/4 cup of slivered almonds (optional)
• Clarified butter or olive oil, as needed
• 6 cups of water

METHOD: Equipment needed: 1 large pot to cook shanks and rice. 1 skillet to brown the pearl onions and nuts. 1 bowl to soak the chickpeas in overnight. 1 serving platter.

1. Sprinkle the lamb shanks with the spices; heat a few tablespoons of oil (or clarified butter)and brown the shanks from all sides. Remove the shanks to a plate. Fry the chopped onions until golden in the same pot.
2. Add to the pot 4 cups of boiling water and place the shanks back in the pot and  simmer gently until tender. If you are using dry chickpeas that have soaked overnight, rinse them and drain them and add them to the shanks  now. The chickpeas will cook with the meat.
3. In a skillet, heat some oil and brown the pearl or cipollini onions. Remove the onions and set aside. Add the almonds and pine nuts and toast them in the same skillet. Set aside.

To cook the rice: measure the broth, if you have too much, let it boil down, if too little, add some water. (just empty the broth into a measuring cup). You need no more than 3 cups of broth for rice and about 2 cups for bulgur and freekeh,

1. Add the rice to the lamb shanks in the pot and simmer for another 30 minutes until rice and lamb are thoroughly cooked and tender. If using canned chickpeas, add them along with the rice.
2. Ten minutes before the end of cooking, add the craisins (if using) and the pearl onions to the pot. Serve the dish with a garnish of toasted nuts and a bowl of yogurt.

I write this post with a heavy heart towards those of us in Japan enduring the tragic reality of this tsunami. Hope the largest number of people can and will be saved.

This dish is a Near East meets Far East concoction; I made it over two days (preparing the lamb broth the day before) and it was gone in less than 30 minutes.

Just make some lamb shanks in a broth (that is the Lebanese way); then strain the broth, and cook the fava beans in it and finally the rice noodles. Add some seasonings (lots of garlic, soya sauce) and call it a day!

The key in this dish is to make a flavorful lamb broth: I added lots of herbs, boiling onions, seven-spice seasoning and some diced tomatoes. Season the lamb according to your taste and wishes.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 lamb shanks
• 1 pound of tomatoes or a large can of diced tomatoes (tomatoes peeled and diced and seeded)
• 1 bunch of parsley or coriander or any herb of your choice
• 1/2 bulb of garlic (cloves peeled and mashed in a mortar with some salt)
• soy sauce, to taste
• 8 ounces of rice noodles
• 2 cups of frozen fava beans (can use fresh)
• 2 cups of boiling onions (can use 2 large onions)

METHOD:

1. Make a broth with the lamb shanks: clean and dry the shanks. Season with salt, pepper and seven-spice or cinnamon, allspice, and other spices of your taste. Fry in a tablespoon of olive oil on all sides till browned; add 6 cups of water to the pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for one hour, adding diced tomatoes after about 30 minutes of simmering. When the lamb shanks are falling off the bone turn off the heat and strain the broth. Cut the lamb shanks in bite-size morsels and set aside on a plate.
2. Fry a bit of olive oil in the pot and add the boiling onions, browning them a bit; add the strained stock, some fava beans and the mashed garlic. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Add the rice sticks and simmer for a few minutes, add some soy sauce and let the noodles absorb the broth and take on the flavor of soy and garlic.
3. Add the lamb morsels at the end and serve with additional soy sauce on the side.

NOTE:

I peeled the fava beans after they were cooked as their skin is too thick and hard to digest.

It happens to be cold and wet outside and you want something to warm you up and make you feel good.

That’s easy! Grab some lamb shanks and some turnip greens and get them going on the stove.

Did you ever eat the bone marrow of a lamb shank? You can pull it out with a knife and eat it as is or on a piece of bread. Try it and let me know! (just wait until it is thoroughly cooked!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 lamb shanks
• Turnip greens (with the turnips attached or not)
• 2 lemons
• a bunch of cilantro (2 ounces)
• 6 cloves of garlic, mashed with a teaspoon of salt
• olive oil, as needed
• one or two large sweet potatoes or a bag of carrots (1 pound)
• 1 large onion

METHOD:

1. Rub the lamb shanks with a cut lemon; sprinkle with salt, pepper and the spices of your choice (I used cinnamon, allspice and paprika)
2. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in the pot and brown the lamb shanks all around. Add the onion and cover the lamb shanks with water and a bay leaf and a couple of cloves of garlic. Cook on a slow simmer till the meat falls off the bone. Remove cartilage and fat from the pot.
3. Bring back to a simmer and add the turnip greens, previously washed and cut in large chunks. Simmer for one hour or longer, adding to the pot some turnips and (or) carrots (or) sweet potatoes cut in chunks.
4. At the end of cooking, swirl 1/4 cup of  previously prepared cilantro pesto in the soup. Serve with lemon quarters.

To make the cilantro pesto:

• 1 bunch of cilantro, leaves cut and chopped
• 8 to 12 cloves of garlic, mashed with some salt in a mortar
• olive oil

Heat some olive oil in a small skillet; add the mashed garlic and chopped cilantro; stir the mixture with a wooden spoon for a few seconds until fragrant; do not let it color. Turn off the heat and reserve.

TIP: Can freeze the unused portion for a few months, covered in a thin layer of olive oil.

This is the same soup, served over basmati rice flavored with turmeric and cumin.

If you ask a traditional, die-hard Beiruti, one whose family has  been residing for generations in West Beirut (called Ras Beirut, the oldest and original part of the  city), what  their favorite dish is, kibbeh  arnabieh would be in the top three.

This dish is one of the great classics of Lebanese cuisine. It is usually made in the winter season.Why? Because this is when Seville oranges (called Bousfeir oranges in Lebanese, or Bigarade in French) are in season. We would be invited to my aunt Wadad‘s to have this meal, as it was a very special meal, an event.  I found Seville oranges at my neighborhood middle-eastern store. (fyi: the blossoms of these oranges are the ones used to make the orange blossom water). In this dish, Seville oranges can be replaced by lemons.

This dish is a lengthy affair.One question:  Do you hear the French apologizing when their classics take forever to make? I don’t know why I feel bad!  However, there is a quicker method to make it and I will point it out; so figure on at least 2 days and making it in stages.

Kibbeh Arnabieh is made up of :

1. Kibbeh balls, hollow, poached or baked first and then simmered in the sauce.
2. A sauce combining  Seville orange juice (or lemon juice) and tahini and lamb bouillon and pureed onion.
3. A rice pilaf as a side dish.

NOTES:

• The traditional  recipe only uses these Seville oranges or lemons; in modern recipes you will find other citrus being used and this is what I decided to do. So this kibbeh  arnabieh is including Seville oranges, mandarin oranges, Navel oranges and a bit of lemon juice. If you are a purist, stick to the Seville oranges! or use lemon juice instead. Seville oranges are bitter-tasting, just like lemons. I would use orange or mandarin juice and some lemon juice so that it is not too bitter.
• Slight variations exist of this dish based on the community that one belonged to in Beirut. Instead of using only kibbeh balls, some people add lamb shanks and garbanzo beans.
• The citrus sauce in this recipe is also used to cook fish fillets, foregoing the lamb stock altogether and the kibbeh balls.
• Kibbeh arnabieh can be prepared two days ahead and reheated gently when served.
• Each of the lamb stock, kibbeh balls and juices can be prepared ahead and frozen.
• FOR A QUICKER VERSION: Use only the lamb shanks, add a can of garbanzo beans rinsed and drained the last half hour of cooking the sauce. For the sauce, make it with a mixture of orange (3 parts)and lemon juice (1 part).

MAKING THE LAMB STOCK: (Enough for 2 separate meals)

• 2 Large lamb shanks
• Seasonings consisting of: a bay leaf, whole pepper, a few cloves, a large onion quartered, a sprig of parsley, two cloves of garlic, a small carrot.

1. Brown the lamb shanks in a large pot. Add 8 cups of water and the seasonings and partially cover the pot.
2. Simmer gently for at least one hour until the shanks are done. Remove them from the pot.
3. Reduce the stock to about 2 cups or more. Cool and set aside. You are going to need 1 cup of stock for this recipe. You can freeze the remaining stock and use later.
4. Either use the lamb shanks in this recipe or reserve for another dish.

MAKING THE KIBBEH BALLS: (Enough for 2 or more separate meals)

• 1 pound of extra-lean meat (beef, veal, lamb), minced
• 1 onion (about 5 ounces)
• 1 1/3 cup of fine bulgur #1
• Spices: 2 teaspoons of allspice, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, salt to taste.

1. Puree the onion in a food processor. Place the bulgur in a strainer and run tap water over it or soak it in water for 3 minutes then drain it and squeeze all the moisture out with a spatula. Add to the onion.
2. Place the meat in a food processor and run the machine for a few minutes until the meat texture changes and becomes smoother. Add the bulgur and onion. Add the seasonings and run the machine a few more minutes, until the mass is cohesive and smooth.
3. Cover and place in the fridge for a while or overnight. Prepare a work surface.
4. Get a small bowl of water with ice cubes and a dash of salt ready. Prepare a cookie sheet to place the kibbé balls in once they are done. Get a cookie scoop or large spoon ready and start scooping out the meat dough in even portions, about the size of a small egg or a large walnut.
5. Dab your fingers in the ice water and taking one ball at a time, roll it between your palms until it is even and smooth. Start carving a hole in the ball with your index finger, turning the kibbeh balls continuously, to get some thin and hollow balls with thin “walls”, the thinner the better.
6. When the kibbeh has been hollowed out, start pinching the hole little by little to close it up. When it is closed up, pinch it on both sides to make the ends looks fine and dainty.
7. Set the balls one by one on the cookie sheet. For this recipe, you will need about 20. Freeze the remainder in a freezer bag to use at a moment’s notice.
8. Bake the balls in a 350F oven for about 12 minutes till cooked. Set aside.

MAKING THE SAUCE: Quantity will yield 6 servings

• 1 large onion (250 g)
• a few tablespoons of oil to fry the onion
• 1 cup of tahini
• CITRUS JUICES: 3/4 cup of Seville orange juice, 1 cup of mandarin juice, 1 cup of orange juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
• 1 cup of lamb stock
• 1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses (optional, but recommended)
• Salt and white pepper to taste.

1. Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onion for at least 40 minutes very gently until it becomes a deep caramel-brown color. Puree the onion in a mini-processor or in a mortar until it is pasty and somewhat smooth. Set aside.
2. Place in the pot the tahini, orange, mandarin and lemon juices. Stir with a wooden spoon on a regular basis until the mixture becomes smooth and starts steaming. Reduce the heat to low, add the lamb stock and the pureed onion and spices. Simmer very gently for a few more minutes, adding the pomegranate molasses.
3. Add to the sauce the kibbe balls and let them swim in the sauce for at least 10 minutes on low heat. If necessary, add a few ladles of hot water to the sauce.
4. Fry the pine nuts on low heat in a bit of butter until browned but not burned, about 3 minutes. Set aside. The pine nuts will  be used to garnish the dish.

MAKING THE RICE PILAF:

• 1 cup of fideos (vermicelli noodles)
• 1/4 cup of oil or butter
• 1 1/2 cup of long-grain rice

1. Fry the fideos in butter till they are browned. Be careful, they burn quickly!
2. Add the rice and stir a minute to coat the rice in butter.
3. Add 3 cups of water and a dash of salt. Cover and let the rice cook over medium to low heat for about 20 minutes.
4. Toss the rice and fideos. Serve.

I have used the guidance of Mrs. Marlene Mattar for this recipe Maeedat Marlene, mina Al-shark wal-gharb.

Whenever I meet Lebanese expats I hear them  fondly  mention the yakhneh (stew) of their mother or grandmother. There is a huge portion of the Lebanese culinary repertoire dedicated to these yakhneh, encompassing every vegetable under  the sun and almost always with the same basic  formula: a stock made of lamb shanks (or shoulder cuts), a final flavoring of a garlic and cilantro pesto or mint pesto  and rice as an accompaniment to the stew. We had them several times a week at  home, with different vegetables. Unlike stews in the West which comprise a medley of vegetables, stews in Lebanese cuisine showcase one vegetable, such as spinach yakhneh, or green bean yakhneh, or okra or bean or zucchini, the list endless.

This one with peas and carrots is  an exception to the rule because both are given importance and the final addition of a cilantro pesto the last minute of cooking gives this dish a fantastic flavor. It has been a favorite with my kids throughout their childhood. As usual with Lebanese meals it takes several steps  and can be prepared in advance and frozen to be enjoyed later. I usually make a large quantity and freeze half of it.

Steps for making the stew or yakhneh:

1. Making the stock with lamb shanks
2. Adding the vegetable (s)
3. Making the pesto (aliyyeh)
4. Make the rice

Making the stock: The day before.

Ingredients: This quantity will yield 8 servings

• 3 lamb shanks as well as some lamb bones if available
• Spices: 1 teaspoon of  salt, pepper, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 2 teaspoons of allspice
• A bay leaf, one large onion, a few sprigs of parsley.

Method:

1. Wash and dry the shanks and sprinkle with all the spices.
2. Heat a large soup pot and brown the shanks on all sides, about 15 minutes.
3. Add enough water to cover the shanks and to reach within two inches of the top  of the pot.
4. Throw in a bay leaf, an onion, a few sprigs of parsley and cover the pot. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer gently for at least one hour  until the shanks are falling off the bone. If you see froth  at the beginning of cooking, remove it with a spatula.
5. Remove the shanks and place on a large plate. Remove and discard  the skin, filaments and  bones. Gently break apart large meat  pieces and place them in a plate to be added to the stew later. Cover the plate.
6. Strain the stock into a large bowl with a cover and place the bowl in the fridge for a few hours until the fat has congealed on the surface and can be removed.
7. Remove the fat and discard.

Making the stew:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bag of frozen sweet peas (or fresh peas)
• 1 pound bag of carrots, peeled and chopped in small pieces
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste

Method:

1. Heat the lamb stock to the boiling point. Add the tomato pasta and stir a bit to dilute.
2. Add the carrots and cook in the stock until they are done, about 20 minutes or more.
3. Add the peas and cook a few minutes longer.
4. Add the pieces of lamb shanks and heat the stew for a couple of minutes. Cool.

Making the cilantro pesto:

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, washed, dried, leaves plucked and chopped
• 10 cloves of garlic, mashed in a mortar with a pinch of salt

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil or clarified butter in a small skillet.
2. Add the cilantro and garlic to the skillet and stir for 1 minute until both become a compact mass.
3. When the fragrance reaches your nostrils, about 30 seconds later, turn off the heat and swirl into the stew. You can start with half the quantity if your are squeamish about too much garlic or throw in the whole paste. It freezes well in a small container, covered with olive oil.

Making the rice with vermicelli:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of Basmati rice
• 1/2 cup of vermicelli noodles
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons of clarified butter
• salt, to taste

Method:

1. Rinse the rice and place in a bowl with water to cover and a pinch of salt. Let it soak for 30 minutes or longer. Change the water 2 or 3 times.
2. Heat the butter in a pot and add the vermicelli noodles. Stirring frequently, let the noodles take on a nice brown color. Now, drain the rice and add it to the pot, stirring the grains until they get coated with butter.
3. Add the water with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
4. Cover the pot and cook on low heat  for 15 minutes until the rice is tender. Fluff it up and serve with the stew.

NOTE:

A lot of people like to add tomatoes or tomato paste to this stew. It is usually added alongside the carrots. I read a recipe in Anissa Helou’s book Lebanese Cuisine in which she foregoes the cilantro pesto and adds instead the peel of an orange and the peel of a lemon (sort of like the seasoning for osso bucco) which sounds delicious too!

I love to be able to get, in Dallas, Texas, from the comfort of home, a

Now we do have our own type of couscous in Lebanon; its grains are bigger. and the spices used are always caraway and cumin and we call it moghrabiyeh, which means “from the Maghreb”; however it is not at all like the north-african couscous. Its grains are much bigger. In the US, they call it “israeli couscous” for some reason!

Today, this couscous is the one from Morocco. To get more detailed information, I consulted Paula Wolfert’s Couscous and other good food from Morocco, a book I bought decades ago. She describes this couscous as being ultra-refined and rustic at the same time.  I liked the fact that you don’t need a zillion ingredients. Lamb, carrots, pumpkin, onion and raisins and chickpeas.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1  can cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 pound of couscous
• 1 1/2  pounds  lamb shanks, cut up by the butcher into smaller pieces
• 2 large Spanish onions, sliced
• salt, black pepper, to taste
• Fresh ginger, grated (1 tablespoon)
• 2 pinches saffron
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 cup sweet butter, clarified till a bit nutty in taste (golden brown in color)
• 1 pound carrots, scraped and cut in 2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 pounds pumpkin, peeled and cut in chunks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 pound black raisins

METHOD:

1. Heat the butter in a large soup pot. Add the onions, sliced and the lamb shanks.
2. Add the spices and  brown the lamb shanks.
3. Add 2 quarts of water. Boil then reduce the heat and simmer for one hour.
4. Add the carrots, raisins and sugar to the pot and cook another 30 minutes.
5. Add the pumpkin and chickpeas to the pot and cook another 30 minutes.
6. Prepare the couscous, using package directions and a portion of the broth from the pot.
7. Serve.

NOTE:

After browning the lamb and onions and adding the stock and spices and cooking the mix for one hour, I let it cool and resume the cooking the next day. That way, I can remove all the fat that has congealed on the surface. I will keep some for the couscous grain later, and usually discard the rest ( unless I needed it for another dish, in which case I freeze it)

Some dishes are fit for royalty. This is one of them. I remember the anticipation of having moghrabyeh prepared for us by my dad’s favorite cousin in the mountains in the village of Maad; hers was the best and I still have her recipe that she passed on to my mother. Alas, the cousin is no longer and I feel it is my turn to try and duplicate her moghrabyeh.

It is believed that couscous was brought to Lebanon centuries ago from the Maghreb (so-called because it refers to the Arab nations such as Morroco and Algeria and Tunisia located in the West al-gharb) and this is the version devised by local Lebanese cooks. A mixture of semolina and water, it is rolled and dried,  first by hand and now by machine. In Beirut, there are places where it is sold  fresh. My childhood friend Jacqueline, who lives in Paris, always picks up a few kilos when she visits Beirut. I am not so fortunate and have to contend with the dried version, perfectly acceptable mind you.

This dish is done in stages: first, one has to braise  the lamb shanks in order to obtain the delicious broth that the moghrabyeh will finish cooking in. Second, one has to parboil the moghrabyeh in salted water in order to soften it  enough and prepare it to absorb the spices and broth. In addition, pearl onions and garbanzo beans are also prepared to add depth of flavor to this dish. To be perfectly authentic, chicken is also included in the mix and cooked separately in its own broth; however, since I was serving 4 to 6 people I was perfectly satisfied with lamb shanks only.

INGREDIENTS

2  Lamb shanks

To flavor the shanks:

1 onion

1 stick of cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon white  pepper

2 bay leaves

1 bag of Lebanese couscous (about 3 cups)

To flavor the couscous:

2 teaspoons of ground caraway seeds

1 teaspoon of 7-peppers spice

1 teaspoon of white pepper

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 lb of pearl onions

olive oil or vegetable oil, as needed

1 can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed under cold water

METHOD

1)Braising the shanks:  Salt and pepper the lamb shanks and brown them in a pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion, quartered,  and brown it as well. Add water to the pan (about 1 1/2 quart), the cinnamon stick and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer until the shanks fall off the bone, about 1 hour or longer, either on top of the stove or in a slow oven (300F). This can be done one or two days before.  Remove the shanks into a plate and pick apart to remove all gelatinous and fibrous tissue. Let the stock and meat rest for a day in the fridge.

2) Parboiling the couscous: Bring about a quart of  salted water to a boil,add a tablespoon of oil and drop the couscous in it. Let it cook for about 10 minutes until al dente. Then drain the water and set the couscous aside.

3) Sauteing the pearl onions: Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet  and drop the peeled pearl onions in it, twirling the pan until the onions are gently browned and glistening with the oil. Add a couple ladles of broth to the onion and simmer for 10 minutes.

4) Add the garbanzo beans to the lamb broth and simmer gently for about 15 minutes for the beans to soften and the flavors to meld. Leave it on the heat to be added to the moghrabyeh later. Add all the spices: caraway, cinnamon, white pepper, 7-spice, and salt if necessary. Add the pearl onions to the broth.

5) Heat  the pan that will be used for the final cooking of the couscous and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil with a tablespoon of butter (if you wish); add the drained couscous to the pan and start to stir with a large wooden spoon for the grains to be all evenly coated with the oil and not to stick;  add the hot broth gradually to the pan (as if making risotto), a couple ladles at a time, for about 30 minutes.  Normally, you should need around a quart of broth for 3 cups of moghrabyeh.  It is possible to cover the pan and let it cook on its own either in a slow oven (300F) or on top of the stove, checking it every 10 minutes or so. Taste and adjust seasonings.

7) If there is  any leftover broth, add a handful of garbanzos and onions to it and serve it separately  in a saucepan to present with the moghrabyeh on the side.

7) Serve the moghrabyeh by piling the grains in a serving dish with the pearl onions and the lamb pieces arranged on top.

NOTE

This dish can be frozen. It can also be served with the addition of chicken, cooked the same way as the lamb. As it is the dish will serve 6 people as a main dish; if you are serving a crowd (up to 20 people) you can add 2 chickens (3 lbs each) using the same method as the lamb shanks and adding the chicken pieces at the end on top of the moghrabyeh.

7-spice is a spice mix; as each community or even family has its own mix, you can save yourself trouble and purchase it in a small packet from any middle-eastern store. Sometimes, you can find a packet labeled moghrabyeh spice, which is a blend of all the needed spices, and would be used instead of all the others.