“Upside-down“ RICE WITH LAMB (Maqlouba)

Ingredients:

For the broth:
2 lb leg of lamb, in large chunks, or 1 whole chicken, skinned and cut into 8 parts
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 small pebbles of mastic
1 t each of allspice berries, black peppercorns and cardamom pods
1 small crack of whole nutmeg
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Vegetables:
1 large onion, julienned
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 medium potatoes, peeled and uniformly sliced
2 large tomatoes, thickly sliced
1 sweet red pepper, cut into thick strips
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 kg eggplant or 1 head of cauliflower
Remaining ingredients:
4 T olive oil
1/2 c dried chickpeas, pre-soaked, or else one 15 oz can, rinsed and strained
2 c rice, washed and rinsed (extra-long grain Basmati is best)
3 t salt
1 1/2 T idra spices*
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 c pine nuts or almonds
2 T finely minced parsley
* For idra spice, mix and grind: 1/2 c allspice; 1/2 c black pepper; 1/2 c garlic powder; 2 T ground cardamom; 2 T cloves; 2 T dried lime powder (loomi, available from most Middle Eastern grocers); 1 T red pepper; 1 T cinnamon; and 1/2 T nutmeg. (Makes 2 c. Store in airtight container.)

Preparation:

1. If using chicken, wash in a bowl of cold water with a fistful of flour, a little lemon juice or vinegar and 2 T of salt. Rinse and drain. If using lamb, simply rinse under water and drain.
2. Brown the chicken in a little oil. Add enough water to fully submerge, then bring to a boil and skim. If using lamb, no need to brown it, just submerge in plenty of water, bring to boil and skim.
3. Reduce heat to medium, then stir in all remaining broth ingredients. Simmer until tender (60-90 minutes). Strain, reserving the broth.
4. While the broth is simmering, salt and either fry or roast the eggplant as follows: slice eggplants uniformly, then spread them over a kitchen towel and sprinkle both sides with salt. Either fry in very hot vegetable oil until brown or slather with olive oil and oven-roast at 400 F. until golden, flipping halfway. Remove when golden and slightly charred.
5. If using cauliflower, wash, separate florets, drizzle generously with olive oil and roast in a hot oven about 25 minutes until browned.
6. Soak the rinsed rice in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, saute the onions in 2 T of the olive oil on medium heat until caramelized, adding the garlic halfway through the process.
8. Strain the rice, then add the cooked onions and garlic; mix together with salt, cinnamon and idra spices. Set aside.
9. Generously grease the bottom and sides of a large non-stick pot with olive oil. Do not skip this step or your rice will burn! Arrange the potato slices on the bottom in a circular, overlapping pattern, followed by the tomato slices, red pepper, carrots, cooked chicken or lamb, roasted eggplant or cauliflower and chickpeas, all in successive layers.
10. Pack the rice mixture into the pot on top of the vegetables, using your hand to ensure it is well compacted. Ladle the reserved broth over the rice until just covered, using approximately 1 1/2 c of broth for every cup of rice.
11. Bring the maqlouba to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover tightly. After 30-35 minutes, taste the rice: if still too hard, add a bit more broth, a ladleful at a time, and leave on low heat until tender, allowing steam to cook it.
12. Remove pot from heat and let rest, covered, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile panfry the pinenuts or almonds in the remaining olive oil and set aside.
13. Uncover the rice and place a large round tray, slightly larger than the pot, serving side down, on top of the pot. Hold on carefully and swiftly - in one continuous motion - flip both pot and tray upside-down. Take care not to burn yourself! Tap on the pot with a wooden spoon (a task ordinarily assigned to children), then gently lift it off, allowing the maqlouba to slide out, as out of a mold. It’s okay if it falls apart!
14. Adorn with the fried nuts and chopped parsley. Serve immediately with plain yogurt and a minced salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions and parsley, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and salt.

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