Mensef- Lamb and Rice Dish

Baharat Spices

This is a lamb and rice dish that is both mouth-watering and finger-licking! It is simply delicious, sublime! And SO easy and fast to prepare!  It is also economical—yes, indeed, it will not break the bank: the main ingredients are meat and rice.

At my children’s request, Mensef became part of my weekly culinary repertoire as soon as our family tasted it. It was Assaf and Noa, our dear Israeli friends, who introduced us to Mensef one autumn afternoon, when they cooked us a lovely dinner. I remember savoring the warm cheese pockets Assaf brought to the table right from the oven, his small apartment just wafting with the delightful aromas of a busy French bakery. My daughter’s favorite was the eggplant salad. This version of Baba Ghanoush- was beautifully decorated with fresh pomegranate seeds and crunchy, verdant mint leaves. It tasted like heaven: welcoming and refreshing. But the piece de resistance, the masterpiece that night, was by far the lamb and rice dish.

As it turns out, Mensef (sometime spelled Mansaf), is a rather well-known Middle Eastern dish. Assaf ’s lamb and rice, passed down to him through his mother’s side of the family, is essentially ground lamb sautéed with onion and garlic—lots of it-- and enhanced with very exotic spices, Baharat and Sumac, which are often used in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. This super tasty meat is then mixed with steamed rice and roasted pine nuts and adorned with fresh parsley that is sprinkled on top of the dish minutes before serving.

I have a confession to make. During the last twenty-something years my Italian husband and I have been together, I have had the great privilege of tasting the most amazing risotti, both here in the United States, be it in our kitchen, or in my favorite Italian restaurant, downtown Chicago—the one on Ohio Street, as well as abroad, in Milano, Italy, which is probably the place to go to for the ultimate risotto.  I must confess that after tasting Assaf’s Mensef, Risotto Milanese seems like an ordinary, every-day culinary experience. Forgive me, my love, for I still appreciate your risotto!

 

Ingredients:

• Half cup olive oil
• 3 large white onions diced
• 5 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 to 1.5 lbs. (500-700 grams) ground lamb OR chopped stew lamb meat
• 1 Tbs. cumin
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tbs. Baharat (available for purchase on Amazon or at Jungle Jim; also see recipe below)
• 2 Tbs. Sumac (available for purchase on Amazon or at Jungle Jim)
• 1.5 cups of Basmati rice cooked or steamed
• About 3 ounces (100 grams) of roasted pine nuts (available for purchase at a very reasonable price at Trader Joe)
• Fresh parsley chopped

Instructions:

• Steam or cook 1.5 cups of Basmati rice.
• While the rice is cooking, use a large pan to sauté 3 large diced onions in olive oil (half a cup) until golden-brown.
• Add 5 chopped cloves of garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
• Add the ground or finely chopped lamb stew meat, and sauté for a few minutes until the meat starts to brown.
• Add all the spices and cook for a few more minutes.
• In a separate, smaller, non-stick pan, roast the pine nuts. Watch carefully, as they roast rather quick, and may burn.
• Add previously cooked rice and roasted pine nuts to the lamb mixture.
• Finally, chop some fresh parsley and sprinkle onto the dish before serving.

Baharat-- Spice Recipe:

• 2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Store the spice mix in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, preferably made of glass.