Lamb KABOBS WITH SOUR CHERRY SAUCE

Earlier this month, the United States State Department announced April as Arab American Heritage month, a time for celebrating the history, contributions, and culture of the diverse population of Arab Americans. And if you know anything about Arabs and the Middle East, you know how ‘food’ is the region’s heartbeat. Our region is rich in culture and vast in its reach, but how is your knowledge on local dishes outside of major capital cities?

Well, I just learned about an eyebrow raising dish called ‘Lahme bil Karaz’ – which translates to – a lamb meatball stew with sour cherry sauce. The stew is assembled on triangle cut pita bread and finished off with a dash of cinnamon, parsley, and pine nuts.  A mouthwatering dish distinct to the city of Aleppo in Syria; Lahme Bil Karaz is authentic and delicious to the eye. It is representative of the countryside’s fertile vegetation and Aleppo’s unique geography.

Curious to make it? Take a look at the ingredients and recipe given to me by a native Aleppian herself- our Mint +Laurel co-founder; Kinda Hibrawi.

Ingredients:

1 pound of grass-fed ground lamb

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon of Aleppo’s Spices (25 grams allspice corns, 5 grams black peppercorns, 5 grams cinnamon sticks, 3 grams clove buds, 2 grams nutmeg, 2 grams cardamom seeds, and 1 gram ground ginger)

1 tablespoon Cinnamon

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons Olive or Vegetable oil

2 pounds of frozen seedless Morello cherry plus ½ cup sugar OR 1 jar Bonne Maman Cherry Preserves plus 1 jar Sadaf sour cherry in light syrup plus Zarrin Wild Sour Cherry Jam. Combine jams to taste.

1 -2 loaf of white pita bread

Half a squeezed lemon OR pomegranate molasses (to add to the sauce for tartness)

To garnish:

3 tablespoons of fried pine nuts in either ghee or extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1.       In a bowl, combine the meat, allspice mix, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and salt; mix well. Transfer to a neat surface and knead for half a minute. With moistened hands, divide the meat into 36 portions and form into balls.

2.       Fry the balls in oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat until almost cooked through.

3.       Remove 200 grams of the cherries and set aside. Puree the rest in a food processor or blender. Strain the processed cherries over a bowl, pressing on them to extract the juice.

4.       In a medium pot, combine the juice, sugar, the remaining cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of salt. Place over medium heat and stir well. Bring the mixture to a bowl, lower the heat and simmer uncovered until the mix begins looking syrupy. If you don’t have the cherries you can substitute by combining the jams together and heat on low.

5.       Add the meatballs and the reserved whole cherries to the simmering sauce and continue to cook until the meatballs are heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference. 

6.       In your presentation plate, cut the bread into triangles and use half to line the base of the plate and place the rest around the edges.

7.       Spoon the meatballs and sauce into the bread, garnish with pine nuts, parsley and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve hot but also tastes great cold the next day!