Misri
Alternate reconstructions:
Serves 10
Ingredients
Steps
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Preheat oven to 300.
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Cube the lamb into stew-sized pieces (around 1 inch), and trim the biggest bits of fat.
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Cut the stems off the fennel, so just the root bulb is left. Cut the root in half. Trim out the core (small pyramid at the base). Dice smallish (1/4 - 1/2 inch). Tear some of the fronds off the stems and toss them in.
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Mix all ingredients in dutch oven.
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Cover, and roast in oven, stirring occasionally, for an hour. Reduce oven to 250, keep going for another hour or two.
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Remove cover, and continue to cook until broth reduces.
Notes
The first time around, I made this as beef, and it's quite good this way. But looking back at the original, it doesn't say which meat to use, just that it should be "the fatty parts". To me, that sounds more like a lamb dish from this source, so trying it that way.
I also originally interpreted this as being made with fennel seed, but that's not what the original says. So I'm trying it with fennel root instead.
I included the fronds as an interpretation of the "flower" called for in the original, but I'm not at all sure that's right -- they don't seem to bring much to the dish.
This doesn't include salt. IMO, it needs it, so pass salt at-table.
In the first test, I couldn't find my saffron, so tested without it. Try again with it!
Used 1/2 cup oil (since the original says "plenty"), but that was way too much -- 1/4 cup should be plenty.
The two-phase oven is how I did it, but is almost certainly not necessarily: I suspect low-and-slow at 250 or 275 the whole way is appropriate.
Cook's Illustrated, May/June '96, has a helpful primer on how to prep and cook fennel, which was used for the above instructions.
The original says "the fatty parts of it", so I originally didn't trim at all, but the result was very greasy. So trim at least lightly.
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