• Alayet bandoura bil lahmeh (tomato and meat stew)

    From Judith Latham@21:1/5 to All on Tue Apr 29 23:40:52 2025
    This dish is traditionally served with bread used to scoop up the
    sauce, but my grandmother used to serve it with vermicelli rice, and I personally prefer it that way. It is also easier for kids to eat it
    that way. If you have soft tomatoes in your kitchen, give this
    delicious stew a try and I�m sure it�ll be a new favourite to add to
    your rotation.

    Ingredients

    1 kg tomatoes, ripe

    3 tbsp olive oil

    1 large onion, finely chopped

    1 tbsp garlic paste

    350 g boneless meat chunks, lamb or beef, cut into very small cubes

    4 cardamom pods

    1 tbsp mixed spice

    Salt and pepper to taste

    Pine nuts, toasted

    Instructions

    To peel your tomatoes, make an X on the bottom of each one and place
    in a large bowl. Pour enough hot water to submerge the tomatoes. Leave
    to sit 10 minutes, peel the tomatoes, using a knife to help if
    necessary. Roughly chop the tomatoes and set aside. Reserve some of
    the water the tomatoes were blanched in.

    In a large pot, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Once the onion
    is soft, add the meat and garlic and continue to brown.

    Once the meat is browned, add some of the water the tomatoes were
    soaking in, about 2 cups or enough to just cover the meat. Add the
    cardamom pods and allow to simmer covered for about 5 minutes or until
    the meat is tender, then add the chopped tomatoes.

    Add the salt, pepper and mixed spice and stir. Cover and leave to cook
    on low heat until the tomatoes are soft, and the stew reaches the
    desired consistency. Depending on how juicy your tomatoes are, you may
    need to add a little bit of water.

    Once the stew is cooked through, stir in the pine nuts.
    Serve over vermicelli rice or eat with a side of pitta bread and
    enjoy!



    Judith

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)