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Please Fave the original Here

One more historic dish from !

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I saw this recipe on Tasting History with Max Miller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IYYhoO-hiY

I had to try it, and May Day was a good day to cook it. Beltane, of course, and this is red. I mean, REALLY red.

Serves 4-6.

What You Need!

- 1lb (450g) Leg of Lamb Chopped into bite size pieces.
- 3-4 Tablespoon Oil or Rendered Fat
- 1 ½ teaspoons Salt
- 2 Cups (475ml) Water
- 12 oz (350ml) Beer - (A sour beer and German Weissbier are recommended, but any non-hoppy beer will suffice)
- 1 Large Onion Chopped
- 2 Cups Arugula Chopped
- 3/4 Cup Cilantro Chopped*
- 2 Teaspoons Cumin Seeds crushed
- 2 Large Beets (approx. 4 cups) Chopped
- 1 Large Leek Minced
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Dry Coriander Seeds
- Additional Chopped Cilantro for garnish
- Samidu* (Something akin to 1 Persian Shallot)
- Suhutinnu* (Something akin to Egyptian Leek for garnish)
*These ingredients have no definite translation; the shallot and leek are the best guesses of scholars at Yale and Harvard Universities)

What You Do with What You Need!

1. Add the oil/fat to a large pot and set over high heat. Sear the lamb for several minutes in the oil until lightly browned.
2. Add the onions and let cook for 5 minutes, then add the beets and let cook for 5 minutes. Then add the salt, beer, arugula, cilantro, samidu (shallot) and cumin and bring to a boil. Mash the garlic into a paste and mix with the leek, then add to the pot.
3. Lower heat to medium and let simmer for approximately 1 hour, or until the beets and meat are cooked to your liking.
4. Once cooked, dish it into a bowl and sprinkle with coriander seeds. Garnish with fresh cilantro and suhutinnu (leek)

Notes:

1. I used a weissbier for this, and had a weissbier to drink with it.
2. This was a bit labor-intensive, what with chopping the veggies and trimming/cleaning/dicing the beets.
3. It took less than an hour to cook till the beets and lamb were tender, and I did have to add water. Your mileage may vary.

Verdict: I'm giving this a B+. The Babylonians didn't know about pepper, but the arugula and weissbier added a little peppery tang to the stew. The lamb and beets were tender, and the beets were earthy and added a little sweetness. The sea salt was enough to season it right for me.

It was all part of this Mesopotamian Meal! It's shown here with Onion Bread and a slice of Palace Cake for dessert.

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* From Chris: For those that are averse to cilantro's taste, you can always swap it out with fresh parsley instead.