Roast Leg of Lamb with Ground Meat, Rice, and Nut Stuffing
Instructions:
- The grandest Arab meal is a whole stuffed baby lamb.
A succulent leg accompanied by the traditional stufing called
hashwa is a representative of that ideal. The meat is cooked gently,
for a long time, to such melting tenderness that you can pull
morsels off with your fingers.
- 1 leg of lamb
- 4 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
- FOR THE STUFFING (HASHWA)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 4 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1¼ cups long-grain rice
- Salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 2 cups meat or chicken stock (or you can use a bouillon cube), boiling hot
- ¼ cup split almonds
- ⅓ cup pistachios
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- Make slashes into the meat with a sharp-pointed knife and insert the pieces of garlic. Rub the meat all over with oil, salt, and pepper and put it in a roasting pan in a preheated 400F oven.
- For rare meat roast 12 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes more; for medium-rare, roast 16 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes more; for well-done, roast 20 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes more. The Middle Eastern way is well-done.
- Prepare the stufing. In a large pan, fry the meat in 2 tablespoons of the oil, turning it constantly and breaking up lumps, until it has changed color.
- Add the rice, and stir well for a few minutes. Then add salt, pepper, cinnamon, and allspice. Pour in the boiling stock, mix well, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender, adding a little stock or water if it becomes too dry.
- Fry the mixed nuts in the remaining oil until they just begin to color, and mix them into the rice before serving.
- Let the meat rest in the turned-off oven with the door open for 15 minutes before carving.