Book of Days Tales

I thought today was a movable feast in the Iraqi Muslim community but I was mistaken because I was looking at the wrong year. The Islamic calendar is entirely lunar and so shifts around the Gregorian calendar all the time. Not to worry. I found a Medieval Persian recipe that uses pomegranate seeds – very common – and November is pomegranate month!!! First I give the old recipe translated from Persian and then a modern one.

Jurjaniyya (Sour Lamb Stew)

Jurjaniyya: The way to make it is to cut up meat medium and leave it in the pot, and put water to cover on it with a little salt. Cut onions into dainty pieces, and when the pot boils, put the onions on it, and dry coriander, pepper, ginger and cinnamon, all pounded fine. If you want, add peeled carrots from which the woody interior has been removed, chopped medium. Then stir it until the ingredients are done. When it is done, take seeds of pomegranates and black raisins in equal proportion and pound them fine, macerate well in water and strain through a fine sieve. Then throw them into a pot. Let there be a little bit of vinegar with it. Beat peeled sweet almonds to liquid consistency with water, then throw them into the pot. When it boils and is nearly done, sweeten it with a little sugar, enough to make it pleasant. Throw a handful of jujubes on top of the pot and sprinkle a little rosewater on it. Then cover it until it grows quiet on a fire, and take it up.

Ingredients

1 ½  kg stewing lamb cut into bite-sized pieces
3 onions, peeled and finely diced
4 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp coriander seed
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp black pepper
30 gm pomegranate seed
30 gm raisins
200 ml almond milk
45 ml wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
15 ml rosewater
25 gm jujubes (red dates)

Instructions

Put the lamb into a pot with just enough water to cover it, and the salt. Bring to the boil slowly.

Finely grind the spices in a mortar or electric grinder.

When the pot with the lamb is boiling, add the onion, carrot and spices. Stir well and reduce to a simmer.

Meanwhile, put the pomegranate seeds and raisins in a mortar with enough water to cover them, and pound well.  This can also be done with a blender but mortar and pestle produces a better paste (with more work).  When the mixture has reached a smooth consistency, strain it through a fine cloth to remove any pieces of pomegranate seed.

When the meat has started to soften and the liquid has reduced a little, add the raisin and pomegranate mix, vinegar and almond milk to the pot and continue to simmer.

When the liquid has reduced and the meat is falling apart (maybe 2 hours), remove from the heat and add the sugar and the rose water, and mix well.  Transfer to a warm serving platter

Place the jujubes on top of the meat.  Serve warm.