!Buni Nadali!

Buni nopi!  Tonight is Christmas Eve in Carraxan
lands.  It's time to cook your Christams couscous!
Remeber to light candles and place them in your
windows.  And no one is homeless tonight, a beggar at
your table for Christmas Eve dinner is the greatest
possible blessing for the new year.

Recipe for Christmas couscous follows:

Christmas Couscous (uls cuscus djil Nadali)

1 lb. ground lamb
½  t. course ground black pepper
1/2-1 t. salt
1-2 T red wine
1 t dried mint
1/8 t. mace
1/8 t. cloves
½  t. cinnamon
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
½  t. coriander
1 T Worcestershire sauce
12 dates, chopped
10 dried apricots, chopped
8 prunes, chopped
juice of ½ lemon
************ ******
Combine above ingredients and set aside to marinate.
************ ******
1-2 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3-4 scallions, cut in half (greens and bottoms chopped
separately)
1/3-½  poblano chili, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1-2 serrano chilies, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 T capers, drained
¼-½  c. portabella mushrooms, chopped
************ *******
Fry yellow onions and scallion bottoms in olive oil
till caramelized. Add peppers, garlic and capers
frying a few more minutes. Add mushrooms and fry 2-3
minutes more. Remove from heat. Place into 5 qt. sauce
pan.
************ *******
Add ½ c. bread crumbs (I used 1/2 matzo meal and ½
fine dry bread crumbs to good effect) to meat mixture.
Combine thoroughly. Shape into 10-12 meatballs. Add
more oil to frying pan and fry meatball in same pan
used for vegetables. Once meatballs are thoroughly
browned on all sides and done through, remove from
pan.
************ *******
red wine
Worcestershire sauce
lemon juice
2 t. Balsamic vinegar
dash each of mace, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, black
pepper
¼-½  t. salt
1 T tahini
1-2 T flour
1 c. water
************ *******
Deglaze pan with a splash of red wine, Worcestershire
sauce and lemon juice. Add vinegar, spices and tahini.
Stir. Add just enough flour to make a roux.  Add water
gradually maintaining a thick gravy consistency.
Remove from heat when all water is added and desired
consistency is achieved.
************ *******
1/2 bunch each cilantro and broadleaf parsley
1 T dried mint
2 1/2 c. water
2 c. couscous
************ *******
Return vegetables to heat. Add greens and water to
pan. Bring to boil. Add couscous. Stir, cover and
remove from heat.

Serve couscous piled on a large platter with meatballs
arranged on top. Sauce may be spooned over the
meatballs before serving or may be served in a
separate dish to be added by each diner to his or her
own portion. Either way it makes enough to serve an
army.

I was pleased with the result, so I shared. If any of
you are adventurous enough to give it a try tell me
what you think. As far as I know, you'll be the only
person, other than me, to ever try Carraxan food!

Adam


Ed ñavisud in junu suñu pera nun regrediri ad ul Erodu, regrediruns ad il
sustrus provinchi peu'l via aurra.

Machu 2:12

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