Preparing the Servants' Dish

Cut up the liver, kidneys, heart and spleen in small pieces; chop two onions very finely, after boiling them. Cut up a lot of fat and a lot of onion, up to a third of the whole; put in all the spices and add pepper, put in the best murri, pine nuts and thyme with your hand; beat about five or six eggs and mix it all with a little water and good oil, put it all in the pan and set in the oven until it is cooked and rippled, and serve, God willing.

[115]From the Cook Book of Ibrahim b. al-Mahdi

[p. 48, verso] And Among Them Is Himmasiyya (a garbanzo dish)

Cut the meat in proportionate pieces and put in the pot, with water to cover and enough oil; do not throw in salt at first, for that would spoil it; put in all the spices. And let the amount of water in this dish be small as you will substitute vinegar; then put the pot on the fire, then grind the garbanzos, sieve them, clean them and throw them on the meat, and when it is all done, grind up a head of garlic and beat with good vinegar and put in the pot; then put in the salt and stir so that all parts are mixed together, and when the pot is done, take it off the fire and leave it to cool and clarify; then sprinkle with fine spices and serve. It is best, when preparing the garbanzos for this dish, to begin by soaking them in fresh water overnight; then peel and throw in the pot, and when they have cooked, take them out of the pot and grind them in the mortar, then return them to the pot and finish cooking, God willing.

Stuffed Burâ niyya

Take meat and chop it small; put, after washing, in a closed or sealed pot and cover with water, throw in enough oil, vinegar, murri, salt, fennel sprigs, citron leaves, a head of garlic and a whole onion; then put on a moderate fire and take the flesh of a leg, pound it very well and clean it with great care, throw in some white flour, cinnamon and what spices you can, egg white and enough of the meat; beat very well and make meatballs of the right size, throw in the pot until done and when it is done, take them out and fry them and also boil an egg, take off its shell and roll it up in some of this meat in the mortar and fry it also until it is browned; then take a handful of eggplants, which have been washed and boiled and take out what they have inside, beat in the mortar with the rest of the meat from the meatballs and stuff the eggplants with this, and cloak them also on the outsides [with the meat mixture] and fry in the skillet until brown; then, when you have fried that, throw it all in the pot after throwing in the first meat, and pour in the pot the rest of the oil in which the things were fried. And when that is done, take the pot to the embers until its surface cools and cover with crumbs of cold bread and the whites of four eggs and cook the yolks in the pot; then spoon out on the platter and garnish with its meatballs; slice those eggs wrapped with meat into quarters and garnish the platter with them along with the yolks [p. 49, recto] which remained in that (crumb-and-eggwhite) covering. Also cook an egg, peel it and chop it very small with some tender rue leaves and sprinkle with fine spices. If you wish to serve this dish with saffron, do so, God willing.

Honey Recipe

Take flesh from [a sheep's] tail, rump, belly and brisket or a fattened hen, whichever you have, after washing it, and put it in a new pot; cover with water and throw in a sufficient quantity of salt, a spoon of oil and another of honey, cleaned and split almonds and sufficient saffron, some two dirhams or thereabouts; then put the pot on a coal fire and when it is done, take out the meat and strain the broth. Then take six ratls of white honey, skimmed, and pour it on the sauce; take to the fire and do not stop stirring for any reason and when the honey is cooked, take a ratl of starch less a fourth -- this is for six ratls; and if it is less or more, use equivalent amounts. Add water; take off the fire and leave for its heat to break, then throw in starch and stir well until it is all mixed; then pour over all this four ratls of fresh oil and put on a very low fire and do not stop stirring it with the greatest care, as this will make it good or bad, and when it reaches the state of fâ lû dhaj, [116] take the pot off this fire to the hot embers; after pouring in the rest of the oil and returning the meat to it, take white flour, make it into a dough and from this make very small sanbû sak (samosas), and stuff them with sugar and pounded almonds, spiced with cinnamon, spikenard, Chinese cinnamon and pepper; knead all this with rosewater and then fry in the skillet; then ladle the dish of honey in an earthenware dish and put these sanbû sak on it and add some shelled pine nuts, then sprinkle with ground sugar and cinnamon, God willing.

Preparing Saqlabiyya (Dish of the Saqaliba)

Take mutton, preferably from the front legs, feet and chest, wash and put in the pot with two spoons of oil and one of murri, good bread, coriander seed, caraway, ground pepper, sprigs of thyme, citron leaves, two heads of garlic, whole, and about enough water to cover the meat, with sufficient salt; then take ten onions, chop them finely, wash and throw in the pot and make meatballs, like those for tafâ yâ , stuff with this meat the lower intestine and sprinkle with [chopped] boiled egg; cook all with the meat and when it is all done, take it to the embers and to decorate it take the meatballs and egg yolks; cut the gut with the egg which is inside and beat between the meatballs and sprinkle with fine spices and serve, God willing.

[117]Fresh Beans With Meat, Called Fustuqiyya

Take the flesh of a young sheep or lamb, preferably from the forelegs, the durra, the jaus and the 'anqara[118] and after washing put in the pot with two spoons of fresh oil and water to cover the meat; put on the fire and then take a handful of fresh beans which have been shelled from their pods and throw over the meat; when it is done, take out the meat and knead the beans vigorously with a spoon until none of them is left whole; then pour in the pot a spoon of vinegar, another of fish murri and some salt, however much is enough; then throw the meat in the pot and fry a little; then take it to the embers until its face appears, dish up and use.

Recipe for a Good Dish

Joint a lamb and after washing it put it in a clean pot and throw in coriander seed, caraway, two spoons of oil and three of perfumed wine and enough water and salt, sprigs of fennel and citron leaves; cut up five sliced heads of onion [they are described as muqaddad, which can mean either sliced or sliced and dried, jerked; perhaps these are dried onions? ] and also peel five heads of garlic and throw all of this over the meat with some garbanzos; take the pot to a moderate fire until it is done, then put on the embers and shove the spoon into these onions and garlic and mash vigorously until they have the consistency of brains; then cover with a little flour and four or five eggs and cook the yolks in it; powder some cumin and pepper, and throw in the pot with some seasoned murri and leave a little until its face shows; then dish up and sprinkle with spices, decorate with the egg yolks and serve.

Recipe for the Chicken Dish known as Sabâ hi (of morning)

Wash the hen, after keeping it overnight in its feathers, then place it whole in the pot and throw in four spoons of strong vinegar and one of seasoned murri, and if you do not have any seasoned, two spoons and the same amount of water as vinegar, a spoon of oil and an adequate amount of salt, fennel stalk, citron leaf and whole peppercorns; put on the fire until done and leave on the coals; take out the hen and cut the breast through its two sides and break its back; then fry in the pan with oil, [p. 70, recto] fresh. And fry excessively so that it browns. It is best not to put it in the pan until the oil is good and hot. When the chicken has browned, carry it to the pot and pour in the rest of the oil which you have fried. Then put it in a dish and sprinkle it with fine spices.

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